Future Projections: Anticipating Climate-Driven Challenges in Tick Research
摘要
The impacts of climate change (CC) on tick populations and diseases transmitted by them are likely to pose serious challenges to public health as well as to agriculture. Increases in global temperatures, variations in precipitation patterns, and alterations in humidity are altering the ecological mix of tick live habitats, allowing for expansion of populations of ticks outward into new areas. Moving forward, with the continued changes caused by climate, it is important that we take understanding of the tick–host–environment complex as a whole. Future research will be needed to determine how climate change will influence tick behavior, ability to live in habitats that they have not previously occupied, and the capacity of this organism to adapt in response. Additionally, integrating tick ecology studies with climate models will enable the prediction of future disease risks and control strategy for future years. Therefore, there is still a role for public awareness campaigns and community based interventions in tick-borne disease (TBD) management as they provide a means for individuals and communities to take preventative actions. To address these challenges finally, these need to be addressed through interdisciplinary collaborations among entomology, climate science, epidemiology and public health. Effective strategies for protecting human and livestock health and those intended to minimize the economic impacts of TBDs require a coordinated global effort that takes into account the impact of climate change.