Dermacentor reticulatus: a vector on the rise

Dermacentor reticulatus is a hard tick species with extraordinary biological features. It has a high reproduction rate, a rapid developmental cycle, and is also able to overcome years of unfavourable conditions. Dermacentor reticulatus can survive under water for several months and is cold-hardy even compared to other tick species. It has a wide host range: over 60 different wild and domesticated hosts are known for the three active developmental stages. Its high adaptiveness gives an edge to this tick species as shown by new data on the emergence and establishment of D. reticulatus populations throughout Europe. The tick has been the research focus of a growing number of scientists, physicians and veterinarians. Within the Web of Science database, more than a fifth of the over 700 items published on this species between 1897 and 2015 appeared in the last three years (2013–2015). Here we attempt to synthesize current knowledge on the systematics, ecology, geographical distribution and recent spread of the species and to highlight the great spectrum of possible veterinary and public health threats it poses. Canine babesiosis caused by Babesia canis is a severe leading canine vector-borne disease in many endemic areas. Although less frequently than Ixodes ricinus, D. reticulatus adults bite humans and transmit several Rickettsia spp., Omsk haemorrhagic fever virus or Tick-borne encephalitis virus. We have not solely collected and reviewed the latest and fundamental scientific papers available in primary databases but also widened our scope to books, theses, conference papers and specialists colleagues’ experience where needed. Besides the dominant literature available in English, we also tried to access scientific literature in German, Russian and eastern European languages as well. We hope to inspire future research projects that are necessary to understand the basic life-cycle and ecology of this vector in order to understand and prevent disease threats. We conclude that although great strides have been made in our knowledge of the eco-epidemiology of this species, several gaps still need to be filled with basic research, targeting possible reservoir and vector roles and the key factors resulting in the observed geographical spread of D. reticulatus. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-016-1599-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Range and ecology of Dermacentor reticulatus (Fabricius, 1794) in Mazuria focus. III. The influence of temperature and day length on the activity of hungry adult ticks in laboratory conditions

The influence of day length and temperature on the activity of adult Dermacentor reticulatus was studied in two experiments. In the first one, changes in the activity of ticks kept in three aquariums were observed where the differentiating factor was day length (14, 15.5 and 17 h). In all of the three variants the activity of ticks decreased over time. The activity of ticks kept in the conditions of a 17 h day decreased the fastest; the decrease was a little slower in the conditions of a 15 h day, and in the conditions of a 14 h day it was the slowest. In the second experiment, changes in the activity of ticks kept in the conditions of a long (20 h) and short (10 h) day was observed, with temperatures differentiated between 18° and 25° C. The activity of hungry adult ticks was most limited in the conditions of a long (20 h) day and high temperatures (25°C), while it decreased somewhat more slowly in the conditions of a long day and moderate temperatures (18°C). An even slower decrease in their activity was observed when day length was reduced to 10 h; it was more marked in temperatures around 25°C than 18°C

Występowanie i ekologia kleszcza łąkowego Dermacentor reticulatus [Fabricius, 1794] w ognisku mazurskim. 4. Wyniki badań nad określeniem specyficzności żywicielskiej

Range and ecology of Dermacentor reticulatus (Fabricius, 1794) in Mazuria focus. IV. Host specificity. During two consecutive open seasons, i.e. in the fall of 1998 and the fall of 1999, a host specificity study was conducted in the vicinity of Mikołajki. Host specificity was assessed by calculating the prevalence and mean intensity indices of infection. The total of 87 game beasts were examined, including 53 deers, 18 wild boars, 15 roe deer and 1 elk. In deer the prevalence of infection was 67.9%, with mean intensity at the level of 10.2. In wild boars the indices were 22.2% and 12.8, respectively. Dermacentor reticulatus ticks were not found in any of the examined 14 roe deer. Three adult ticks were found on the elk. Very frequent occurrence of Dermacentor reticulatus on plants in red and fallow deer pens in fenced Cervides Farm indicates that these animals are good hosts for adult forms of this tick. On pens of red deer the number of ticks caught on plants was considerable greater than on pens of fallow deer

Range and ecology of Dermacentor reticulatus (Fabricius, 1794) in Mazuria focus. I. Defining current range

During the vegetation periods of five subsequent years, ie. 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001, a field study aimed at defining, the current range of Dermacentor reticulatus in the so-called Mazuria focus was conducted on an area of about 24.000 km? . The total of 68 sites covered by the study were located between the Great Mazurian Lakes District in the east and the lower Vistula valley in the west. The presence of adult forms of Dermacentor reticulatus was confirmed in 23 sites. The westernmost sites were discovered in the vicinity of Brodnica and Elblag. Both sites are located at longitude 19°20’ East