Bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) are widespread and abundant in the western half of Eurasia, including Great Britain. These small rodents often come into contact with domestic animals and/or humans, either directly or indirectly, and thus are an interface between sylvatic and domestic cycles for zoonotic organisms. Bank voles were live-trapped and inspected for ticks in Cambridgeshire, Essex and Suffolk from June 1999 to April 2000. Infested voles hosted between 1 and 10 ticks. Larvae were the most frequent stage. Overall prevalence estimate of tick infestation was 14.5% (95% C.I. : 8.3% to 20.7%). Prevalence estimates fluctuated with seasons. Two tick species were identified : Ixodes ricinus (larvae only) and Ixodes trianguliceps (all three stages). The aggregated distribution of ticks on their hosts suggests that co-feeding transmission of tick-borne pathogens may happen in British bank voles. Further investigations are required to improve our knowledge and understanding of the epidemiology of tick-borne diseases in East Anglia.
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9 October 2017
Tick infestation in bank voles from East Anglia
Philippe Gil De Mendonça
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Clethrionomys glareolus
Ixodes ricinus
Ixodes trianguliceps