Long-term investigations (1995–2018) on vectors and vector-borne pathogens in Lithuania

Abstract

Vector-borne diseases constitute a major health problem in many parts of the world. In the past three decades, many vector-borne pathogens have emerged, creating new challenges for public and animal health in Europe. The factors that drive the emergence of vector-borne diseases are difficult to identify due to the complexity of the pathogen-vector-host triad. Long-term studies are important because they may improve our understanding of the ecological factors that shape the dynamics of vector-borne pathogens. In Lithuania, the first studies on vectors and vector-borne pathogens began in 1995. Analysis based on longterm datasets (1995–2018) of the incidence of vector-borne diseases in humans and animals in Lithuania demonstrated that exposure to ticks, mites, fleas and mosquitoes was an important factor influencing vector-borne diseases incidences in human and animals in Lithuania. The geographical and spatial distributions of some European vectors have been changing in the last few decades, and new viral, bacterial and protozoan tick-borne pathogens have been detected in former non-endemic areas. Climate changes over recent decades have led to a wider spatial distribution of ticks, and an extension in their periods of activity in Lithuania. Mosquitoes and mosquito-borne diseases have become widely established across Europe. Climatic changes, the significant increase of tourism and travel of dogs across Europe have caused an increase in the geographical range of canine babesiosis and human and canine Dirofilaria infections. Currently, the Baltic countries are an endemic area for a number of vector-borne diseases such as Lyme borreliosis, tick-borne encephalitis, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, bartonellosis, rickettsiosis, dirofilariosis [...]Biologijos katedraVytauto Didžiojo universiteta