Resource Number: 14620
Title: The interface between invasive species and the increased incidence of tickborne diseases, and the implications for federal land managers
Publisher: National Invasive Species Council
Description: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (cdc), the incidence of tick-borne disease is on the rise in the United States. For example, there are more than 30,000 annually reported cases of Lyme disease in the US (Kuehn 2013), though this estimate may be an order of magnitude too low
(Nelson et al 2015), due to a combined lack of definitive or incorrect disease diagnosis and under reporting. The region in which ticks and tick-borne diseases occur is expanding significantly every year.
There continues to be a steady range expansion of various tick and tick-borne pathogens, concurrent with expanding ranges and populations of wildlife that serve as hosts for various disease-causing pathogens. Several other factors also contribute to increases in tick-borne disease, including habitat
fragmentation, changes to land-use patterns, growth of whitetailed deer and other tick-host populations, climate change, etc. In combination, these factors impact populations of disease vectors, hosts, and pathogens and alter the compatibility of ecosystems and host populations in often unpredictable or complex ways. For example, habitat fragmentation due to human infrastructure development may alter the presence mammal host vectors and increase contact between humans
exposure to tick-borne disease.
Last Updated: June 21, 2019
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Domain(s)/Area(S):
- Human and Household
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