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. 2017 May 10;6(5):e31.
doi: 10.1038/emi.2017.17.

Crowdsourcing-based nationwide tick collection reveals the distribution of Ixodes ricinus and I. persulcatus and associated pathogens in Finland

Maija Laaksonen  1 , Eeva Sajanti  2 , Jani J Sormunen  1   3 , Ritva Penttinen  4 , Jari Hänninen  3 , Kai Ruohomäki  1 , Ilari Sääksjärvi  4 , Eero J Vesterinen  5 , Ilppo Vuorinen  3 , Jukka Hytönen  2 , Tero Klemola  1
Affiliations

Crowdsourcing-based nationwide tick collection reveals the distribution of Ixodes ricinus and I. persulcatus and associated pathogens in Finland

Maija Laaksonen et al. Emerg Microbes Infect. .

Abstract

A national crowdsourcing-based tick collection campaign was organized in 2015 with the objective of producing novel data on tick distribution and tick-borne pathogens in Finland. Nearly 20 000 Ixodes ticks were collected. The collected material revealed the nationwide distribution of I. persulcatus for the first time and a shift northwards in the distribution of I. ricinus in Finland. A subset of 2038 tick samples containing both species was screened for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (the prevalence was 14.2% for I. ricinus and 19.8% for I. persulcatus), B. miyamotoi (0.2% and 0.4%, respectively) and tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV; 0.2% and 3.0%, respectively). We also report new risk areas for TBEV in Finland and, for the first time, the presence of B. miyamotoi in ticks from mainland Finland. Most importantly, our study demonstrates the overwhelming power of citizen science in accomplishing a collection effort that would have been impossible with the scientific community alone.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Map illustrating the distribution of I. ricinus and I. persulcatus in Finland based on the coordinates of 17 603 tick samples collected in 2015 via the collection campaign. Blue dots indicate collection points for I. ricinus (n=13  847) and red dots indicate collection points for I. persulcatus (n=3756).
Figure 2
Figure 2
A diagram showing the monthly occurrence of I. ricinus and I. persulcatus samples collected via the collection campaign.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(A) Distribution of the samples that were screened for pathogens (n=2038). Blue dots indicate collection points for I. ricinus samples (n=1044) and red dots indicate collection points for I. persulcatus samples (n=994). (B) Distribution of the samples that were positive for Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. (n=345). (C) Distribution of the samples that were positive for B. miyamotoi (n=6). (D) Distribution of the samples that were positive for TBEV (n=32).
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