Infographic designed by Jessica Schalet.
Ticks are able to spread disease through taking blood from hosts that are infected with a disease. They then take blood from their next host in their next life stage, and through this interaction, they can give the disease they picked up from their first host to the second host. Poor quality hosts for ticks, which are called dilution hosts, are extremely important in reducing the spread of tick-borne diseases. This is because ticks are less likely to contract diseases from dilution hosts. So, ticks are diverted away from competent hosts that ticks can take blood from and spread disease. Research shows that removing dilution hosts, such as Grey squirrels and Virginia opossums, can increase the amount of ticks on competent hosts by 57% (Levi, 2016). With increased harm to the environment through climate change and the destruction of habitats, there
have been decreases in dilution hosts and increases in competent hosts. The consequences of this can include increases in tick-borne diseases, which also includes the prevalence of tick-borne diseases in human populations. We can help prevent this change by preventing climate change. Scan the QR code to learn more about protecting the environment and reducing tick-borne disease prevalence.
References
- “CLIMATE CHANGE INCREASES THE NUMBER AND GEOGRAPHIC RANGE OF
DISEASE-CARRYING INSECTS AND TICKS.” Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/climateandhealth/pubs/vector-borne-disease-final_508.pdf. - Diuk-Wasser, Maria A., Edouard Vannier, and Peter J. Krause. “Confection by Ixodes tick-borne pathogens: ecological, epidemiological, and clinical consequences.” Trends in parasitology 32.1 (2016)
- Levi, Taal, et al. “Quantifying dilution and amplification in a community of hosts for tick-borne pathogens.” Ecological Applications 26.2 (2016)