Main description:

This book brings together expert opinions from scientists to consider the evidence for climate change and its impacts on ticks and tick-borne infections. It considers what is meant by 'climate change', how effective climate models are in relation to ecosystems, and provides predictions for changes in climate at global, regional and local scales relevant for ticks and tick-borne infections. It examines changes to tick distribution and the evidence that climate change is responsible. The effect of climate on the physiology and behaviour of ticks is stressed, including potentially critical impacts on the tick microbiome. Given that the notoriety of ticks derives from pathogens they transmit, the book considers whether changes in climate affect vector capacity. Ticks transmit a remarkable range of micro- and macro-parasites many of which are pathogens of humans and domesticated animals. The intimacy between a tick-borne agent and a tick vector means that any impacts of climate on a tick vector will impact tick-borne pathogens. Most obviously, such impacts will be apparent as changes in disease incidence and prevalence. The evidence that climate change is affecting diseases caused by tick-borne pathogens is considered, along with the potential to make robust predictions of future events. This book contains: Expert opinions and predictions. Global coverage of trends in ticks and disease. In-depth examination of climate change and tick distribution links. This book is suitable for researchers and students studying zoology, biological sciences, medical entomology, animal health, veterinary medicine, epidemiology, parasitology, and climate change impacts; and for those concerned with public health planning or livestock management where ticks and tick-borne pathogens pose a threat.

Contents:

Section 1: Climate Section 1.1: Climate and the tick ecosystem eo1: Future climate of Africa eo2: Vegetation-climate interactions: into the tick zone Section 1.2: Modelling climate change impacts eo3: Climate change and Lyme disease eo4: How to Model the Impact of Climate Change on Vector-Borne Diseases? eo5: Challenges of Modelling and Projecting Tick Distributions eo6: Considerations for predicting climate change implications on future spatial distribution ranges of ticks Section 1.3 Synopsis: Climate Section 2: Ticks Section 2.1: Climate impacts on tick physiology eo7: Can the impact of climate change on the tick microbiome bring a new epidemiological landscape to tick-borne diseases? eo8: Climate influence on tick neurobiology eo9: The impact of climate change on tick host-seeking behaviour eo10: Expected transitions in ticks and their heritable endosymbionts under environmental changes eo11: Drought and tick dynamics during climate change eo12: Climate influences on reproduction and immunity in the soft tick, Ornithodoros moubata eo13: Climate change and ticks: measuring impacts Section 2.2: Climate impacts on tick populations eo14: Scandinavia and ticks in a changing climate eo15: Birds, ticks and climate change eo16: How tick vectors are coping with global warming eo17: Possible direct and human-mediated impact of climate change on tick populations in Turkey eo18: Climate change alone cannot explain altered tick distribution across Europe: a spotlight on endemic and invasive tick species eo19: Climate and management effects on tick-game animal dynamics eo20: Climate-driven livestock management shifts and tick populations eo21: Potential impacts of climate change on medically important tick species in North America Section 2.3: Climate impacts on tick species eo22: Climate change and tick evolution: lessons from the past Chapter 23: Amblyomma ticks and future climates Chapter 24: Climate impacts on Dermacentor reticulatus tick population dynamics and range Chapter 25: Changes expected in Ixodes ricinus temporal and spatial distribution in Europe Chapter 26: Range expansion of Ixodes scapularis in the USA Chapter 27: Distribution, seasonal occurrence, and biological characteristics of Haemaphysalis longicornis, a vector of bovine piroplasmosis in Japan Chapter 28: Climate and vector potential of medically important North American ticks Chapter 29: The impact of climate change on the biology of the cattle tick, Rhipicephalus microplus: current knowledge and gaps to be filled Section 2.4: Climate impacts on vector capacity Chapter 30: Climate impacts on the vector capacity of tropical and temperate populations of the brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato Chapter 31: Argasidae: distribution and vectorial capacity in a changing global environment Chapter 32: Effects of climate change on babesiosis vectors Section 2.5: Synopsis: Ticks Section 3: Disease Section 3.1: Vector-host-pathogen triangle Chapter 33: Conflict and cooperation in tick-host-pathogen interactions contribute to increased tick fitness and survival Chapter 34: Climate, ticks, and pathogens: gaps and caveats Chapter 35: Climate and prediction of tick-borne diseases facing the complexity of the pathogen-tick-host triad at northern latitudes Chapter 36: Is the clock 'ticking' for climate change? Chapter 37: Climate instability and emerging tick-borne disease Chapter 38: Co-infections of ticks Chapter 39: Impact of climate change on co-feeding transmission Chapter 40: Human behaviour trumps entomological risk Chapter 41: It's all in the timing: effect of tick phenology on pathogen transmission dynamics Chapter 42: Anaplasma species' novel tick-host-pathogen relationships and effects of climate change Chapter 43: Zoonotic potential in the genera Anaplasma and Ehrlichia Chapter 44: Tick vectors, tick-borne diseases and climate change Chapter 45: Climate and other global factors at the zoonotic interface in America: influence on diseases caused by tick-borne pathogens Chapter 46: Microclimatic conditions and RNA viruses in ticks Section 3.2: Vector-borne infections of humans Chapter 47: Climate, ticks and tick-borne encephalitis in Central Europe Chapter 48: Tick-borne viral haemorrhagic fever infections Chapter 49: Climate impact on Lyme borreliosis and its causative agents Chapter 50: Climate change and tick-borne encephalitis in the Greater Alpine Region Chapter 51: The expansion of Japanese spotted fever and the complex group of spotted fever group rickettsia in Japan Chapter 52: Spatiotemporal and demographic patterns of transmission of Kyasanur Forest Disease virus in India Chapter 53: Argasid ticks, relapsing fever and a changing climate Chapter 54: The potential effects of climate change on Lyme borreliosis in East-Central Europe Chapter 55: Epidemiology of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome in China Chapter 56: Climate change and debilitating symptom complexes attributed to ticks in Australia Chapter 57: Effect of climate change on mosquito-borne pathogens Section 3.3: Vector-borne infections of domesticated animals Chapter 58: Ornithodoros tick vectors and African swine fever virus Chapter 59: Tick-borne diseases of livestock in the UK Chapter 60: Impact of climate change on tick-borne diseases of livestock in Pakistan - looking ahead Chapter 61: The emergence of tick-borne diseases in domestic animals in Australia Section 3.4: Vector-borne infections in different regions Chapter 62: Tick-borne infections in Central Europe Chapter 63: Impact of climate change on ticks and tick-borne infections in Russia Chapter 64: Is climate change affecting ticks and tick-borne diseases in Taiwan? Chapter 65: Ticks and tick-borne pathogens in the Caribbean region in the context of climate change Chapter 66: The strange case of tick-borne viruses in Turkey Chapter 67: Melting, melting pot - climate change and its impact on ticks and tick-borne pathogens in the Arctic Chapter 68: Ticks and tick-borne diseases in the Middle East Chapter 69: The emergence of ticks and tick-borne diseases in the United States Chapter 70: Role of climate and other factors in determining the dynamics of tick and tick-transmitted pathogen populations and distribution in western, central, and eastern Africa Chapter 71: Tick-borne pathogens in China Chapter 72: Tick-borne rickettsioses in Africa Chapter 73: Climate and the emergence of tick-borne disease in Canada Chapter 74: Climate change impacts on Ixodes ricinus in Scotland and implications for Lyme disease risk Chapter 75: Possible impact of climate and environmental change on ticks and tick-borne disease in England Chapter 76: Climate change, ticks and tick-borne pathogens in northern Europe Chapter 77: Tick and tick-borne disease circulation in a changing marine ecosystem Section 3.5: Synopsis: Disease Section 4: Final synopsis and future predictions