Risk of Bites in a Population of Forestry Workers in an Endemic Region in France.
Fiche publication
Date publication
août 2024
Journal
Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)
Auteurs
Membres identifiés du Cancéropôle Est :
Pr SAULEAU Erik-André
Tous les auteurs :
Grillon A, Sauleau E, Boulanger N
Lien Pubmed
Résumé
The progressing worldwide increases in tick occurrence and tick-borne diseases calls for the development of new prevention strategies to reduce their impact on human and animal health. Defining the risk of exposure to tick bites is therefore essential. Forestry workers are at high risk of tick bites. We set up an explorative study among forestry workers in the Alsace region in eastern France to measure the different factors affecting the risk of tick bites during their activities in forests. For one year, forestry workers recorded the presence of ticks on their clothes and tick bites every time they were working in teams in different forest ecosystems. Questions about the prevention measures they followed were also noted. Among the 32 participants, we were able to differentiate between groups having a high, neutral, or low risk of being bitten. The median tick bite number per year was 4 (0-8). We tried to identify individual as well as environmental factors affecting the risk of tick bites. Factors influencing the risk were the seasonal peak of tick activity in May and June, the time of exposure, and the forest ecosystems visited during the year. Additional factors potentially affecting the risk were also identified.
Mots clés
Ixodes ricinus, forest ecosystem, risk factors, tick bite, tick control
Référence
Pathogens. 2024 08 16;13(8):