Abundance of ticks and tick-borne pathogens in domestic gardens in Belgium, 2020-2022: a citizen science approach
The presence of Ixodes ricinus in gardens, coupled with the detection of pathogens at prevalence levels similar to those in natural habitats, suggests that private gardens may serve as overlooked risk areas for tick exposure. This underscores that raising public awareness, combined with effective garden management strategies, may help mitigate the risk of infection with tick-borne diseases. Future research could focus on evaluating the effectiveness of prevention and garden management measures.
Authors
- Hein Sprong
- Manoj Fonville
- Erik Matthysen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7521-9248)
- Michiel Lathouwers (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8426-4788)
- Dieter Heylen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6136-8007)
- Mats Van Gestel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0743-9713)
- Käthe Robert (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-9371-4998)
Institutions
- University of Antwerp (BE)
- Research Institute for Nature and Forest (BE)
- National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (NL)
Publication Details
- Journal
- BMC Public Health
- Published
- 2025-06-02
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-23221-1
- Citations
- 3
- Primary Topic
- Vector-borne infectious diseases
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 6.14
Funders
- KU Leuven
- Vlaamse regering
- Interreg