11/29/2023 0 Comments Lehigh university arcgis map download![]() A major obstacle is that tick control strategies are costly and often unfeasible at large spatial scales.įor Lyme disease control to be applied in a cost-effective manner it must be targeted to areas with the highest risk of infected tick exposure ( Eisen 2020, Stafford et al. Although many of these strategies have been successful at reducing infected tick density in controlled research settings, real-world tick-borne disease control remains largely ineffective ( Piesman and Eisen 2008, Eisen et al. ![]() 2019), but these are unfeasible in mainland settings. ![]() 2004), or proposed, such as the release of white-footed mice genetically edited to be heritably immunized against B. On islands even larger, more ambitious control methods have been undertaken, such as complete eradication of deer ( Rand et al. ![]() Acaricide application to deer with the 4-poster method can take place at a larger scale, approximately 2 km-by-2 km ( Pound et al. Fungal biocontrol and bait boxes are also currently being tested at the neighborhood scale (~100 households Keesing and Ostfeld 2018). Acaricide, fungal biocontrol, tick tubes, and bait boxes can be applied at the household scale (up to 5 acres which is approximately 140 m-by-140 m Hinckley et al. These methods are applied over different spatial scales. burgdorferi-infection rate of hosts ( Eisen and Dolan 2016). scapularis and vertebrate hosts by: decreasing tick populations with broad or targeted on-host acaricide application decreasing tick host populations or by decreasing the B. Lyme disease control strategies have been developed to disrupt the enzootic cycle of B. Since no Lyme disease vaccine is currently available, the best way to decrease the number of cases is through prevention and control strategies. Due to underreporting, the actual number of cases could be closer to ~476,000 annually since 2010 ( Kugeler et al. In the last twenty years, the number of annual confirmed cases in the United States has more than doubled from 12,801 in 1997 to 29,513 in 2017 ( CDC 2020). Lyme disease, the most common of these, is an endemic and expanding infectious disease that is caused by the spirochetal bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi (Spirochaetales: Spirochaetaceae) sensu lato. In the northeastern United States, Ixodes scapularis (Say) (Acari: Ixodidae) is the dominant vector of many tick-borne diseases, including Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Powassan virus disease. This GIS approach to map predicted DON over a small area with fine resolution, could be used to target public health campaigns and land management practices to reduce human exposure to ticks. This model was applied to Addison County, VT, to predict tick exposure risk at a 200 m resolution. The 100 m buffer model performed best and explained 37.7% of the variation in DON, although was highly accurate at classifying sites as having below or above average DON. The relationships between predictor variables and DON were determined with random forest models. We used a GIS to average habitat, climatological, land-use/land-cover, and abiotic characteristics over 100 m, 400 m, 1,000 m, and 2,000 m buffers around each site to evaluate which characteristic at which buffer size best predicted density of nymphal ticks (DON). We used drag-cloth sampling to measure the density of nymphal blacklegged ticks ( Ixodes scapularis, Say (Acari: Ixodidae)) at 24 sites in Addison and Rutland Counties, VT, United States. We followed the approach used to map tick habitat suitability over large areas. Here we present a geographic information system (GIS) method for mapping predicted tick exposure risk at a 200 m by 200 m resolution, appropriate for public health intervention. We need tools to target these strategies to places of highest tick exposure risk. Although control strategies exist, they are costly or ineffective at large spatial scales. Tick-borne disease control and prevention have been largely ineffective compared to the control of other vector-borne diseases.
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