Publication details
Tick-transmitted viruses and climate change.
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2014 |
| Type | Chapter of a book |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | Tick-borne viruses of the families Flaviviridae, Bunyaviridae, Reoviridae and Orthomyxoviridae are dealt with with in this chapter. Talking in general terms, we are note yet able to evaluate the fine effects of climate trends on the epidemiology of the most prominent tick-borne viruses. We should keep in mind that the these changes do not affect only the dynamics of tick vectors, but also the abundance of hosts for immature stages of the tick, or their migratory timings in the case of birds (which may be hosts for the immatures of the ticks) or even how climate may affect the densities of hosts in natural conditions. While available models might greatly contribute to understand the behaviour of the ticks under variable climate conditions, we need yet to build upon those models to reach the necessary level of complexity. Local processes are not captured yet by these models, adding "noise" to the general background picture of the fine scale distribution of a tick, their vectors and the pathogens it transmit. There is an implicit need of further research at both local and regional scales. |