Roadside ecology and epidemiology of tick-borne diseases

Abstract

When humans, pets and livestock walk along roads, they may encounter questing ticks and tick-borne pathogens. A new field of environmental science called road ecology can help researchers study the complex epidemiology of tick-borne diseases in the unique roadside environment. This paper reviews some of the important ways that roads alter the distribution, abundance and behaviour of wildlife species that are involved in the enzootic cycles of tick-borne diseases. Compared to the surrounding landscape, roadways often constitute a different environment and hence there is no assurance that disease risk along roads will be the same as in the adjacent landscape, or that disease control measures taken in the surrounding landscape will work in the adjacent roadway. Since roadways have their own special ecological conditions, are used extensively by the human populace and play strategic roles in community security, we believe that roadways should be one of the habitats where tick-borne diseases are studied. It is amazing that at this late period of human history, epidemiological research along such important corridors has been almost completely ignored.