Mapping the Potential Distribution of Major Tick Species in China.
Int J Environ Res Public Health
; 17(14)2020 07 16.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32708816
ABSTRACT
Ticks are known as the vectors of various zoonotic diseases such as Lyme borreliosis and tick-borne encephalitis. Though their occurrences are increasingly reported in some parts of China, our understanding of the pattern and determinants of ticks' potential distribution over the country remain limited. In this study, we took advantage of the recently compiled spatial dataset of distribution and diversity of ticks in China, analyzed the environmental determinants of ten frequently reported tick species and mapped the spatial distribution of these species over the country using the MaxEnt model. We found that presence of urban fabric, cropland, and forest in a place are key determents of tick occurrence, suggesting ticks were likely inhabited close to where people live. Besides, precipitation in the driest month was found to have a relatively high contribution in mapping tick distribution. The model projected that theses ticks could be widely distributed in the Northwest, Central North, Northeast, and South China. Our results added new evidence on the potential distribution of a variety of major tick species in China and pinpointed areas with a high potential risk of tick bites and tick-borne diseases for raising public health awareness and prevention responses.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Ticks
/
Tick-Borne Diseases
Type of study:
Prognostic_studies
Limits:
Animals
Country/Region as subject:
Asia
Language:
En
Journal:
Int J Environ Res Public Health
Year:
2020
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
China