Urban recreation areas as foci of tick hazard: multi-year seasonal patterns of Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus activity and host spectrum of their juvenile stages in Eastern Poland.

Opis bibliograficzny

Urban recreation areas as foci of tick hazard: multi-year seasonal patterns of Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus activity and host spectrum of their juvenile stages in Eastern Poland. [AUT.] ZBIGNIEW ZAJĄC, ANETA WOŹNIAK, [AUT. KORESP.] JOANNA KULISZ. Biology [online] 2026 vol. 15 nr 3 [art. nr] 252, s. 1-14, bibliogr. poz. 58, [przeglądany 24 lutego 2026]. Dostępny w: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/15/3/252. DOI: 10.3390/biology15030252
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Szczegóły publikacji

Źródło:
Biology (Basel) [online] 2026 vol. 15 nr 3, [art. nr] 252, s. 1-14, bibliogr. poz. 58.
Rok: 2026
Język: angielski
Charakter formalny: Artykuł w czasopiśmie
Typ MNiSW/MEiN: Praca Oryginalna

Streszczenia

Simple Summary Urban parks and green spaces are widely used for recreation but may also increase human exposure to ticks. In this study, tick activity was monitored over five years in urban park in eastern Poland. Two common European species, Dermacentor reticulatus and Ixodes ricinus, were examined to describe their seasonal activity and host associations. D. reticulatus was more abundant and showed pronounced autumn activity, whereas I. ricinus was most active in late spring and early summer. Tick activity was primarily related to seasonal timing rather than short-term variation in temperature or humidity. Juvenile stages of both species were most frequently found on striped field mice (Apodemus agrarius), highlighting the role of urban-adapted rodents in maintaining tick populations. These results indicate that urban recreational areas can act as persistent sources of tick exposure with predictable seasonal risk. Abstract Urban green spaces increasingly serve as sites of human–tick contact, yet long-term data on tick activity and host associations in urban recreational areas remain limited. This study investigated the seasonal activity patterns of Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus and the host spectrum of juvenile tick stages in an urban park in eastern Poland over a five-year period (2015–2019). Questing ticks were collected from vegetation using the flagging method, while small mammals were live-trapped to assess tick infestation of juvenile stages. The effects of air temperature, relative humidity, and seasonality on tick activity were analysed using generalized additive models (GAMs). D. reticulatus was the dominant tick species throughout the study, exhibiting pronounced autumn activity peaks, whereas I. ricinus occurred at lower densities with peak activity in late spring and early summer. GAM analyses revealed that apparent temperature effects observed in uncorrected models disappeared after accounting for seasonality, while seasonal timing remained a strong and consistent predictor of tick activity across species, developmental stages, and sexes. Juvenile ticks of both species were most frequently associated with Apodemus agrarius, indicating that urban-adapted rodent hosts play a key role in sustaining tick life cycles in simplified urban ecosystems. These findings demonstrate that urban recreational areas can function as persistent foci of tick hazard, with tick activity driven primarily by intrinsic seasonal dynamics rather than short-term weather variation. Keywords: Ixodes ricinus; Dermacentor reticulatus; juvenile ticks; Apodemus agrarius; rodents; ticks in urban areas; tick-host interactions

Open Access

Tryb dostępu: otwarte czasopismo Wersja tekstu: ostateczna wersja opublikowana Licencja: Creative Commons - Uznanie Autorstwa (CC-BY) Czas udostępnienia: w momencie opublikowania

Identyfikatory

BPP ID: (27, 104133) wydawnictwo ciągłe #104133

Metryki

100,00
Punkty MNiSW/MEiN
3,500
Impact Factor
Q1
SCOPUS
0
Punktacja wewnętrzna

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Informacje dodatkowe

Zewnętrzna baza danych:Web of Science
Scopus
Rekord utworzony:24 lutego 2026 09:51
Ostatnia aktualizacja:3 marca 2026 10:07