The role of ungulates in Ixodes ricinus density in Europe

Abstract

The tick, a bloodsucking arthropod, has a life cycle that requires a blood meal to moult to the next life stage, or to lay eggs. This blood meal is supplied by vertebrate hosts, and therefore a human can be a host as well. Because tick-borne pathogens can be transmitted when the tick attaches to a host, this poses a risk for humans and animals. That is why it is important to expand the knowledge on tick-host interaction and other factors that influence the tick life cycle, distribution and density. The aim of this thesis is to find out if and how ungulate densities are related to tick density, focussing on Ixodes ricinus. There are numerous studies that investigate one or more ungulate species and their densities with reference to tick-borne disease, and in some cases tick density. Unfortunately, the researchers do not reach a general consensus on a relation between tick density and ungulate density. The conclusion is that ungulates are of influence on tick density, and ungulate management techniques can be a tool to indirectly regulate tick density. This influence, however, requires more research that includes proper recording of ungulate density, tick density and climatic as well as environmental parameters