ArticleParasites & vectors2017
Mesocarnivores and macroparasites: altitude and land use predict the ticks occurring on red foxes (Vulpes vulpes).
Article in Parasites & vectors, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed.
- High-resolution prediction and risk mapping ofiScience · 2026Article
- Effect of environmental variables on the abundance of Amblyomma ticks, potential vectors of Rickettsia parkeri in central Brazil.PloS one · 2024Article
- The Red Fox (Microorganisms · 2020Article
- The Unexpected Holiday Souvenir: The Public Health Risk to UK Travellers from Ticks Acquired Overseas.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- Ectoparasites of red foxes (Parasitology · 2020Article
- Impact of abiotic factors, habitat type and urban wildlife on the ecology of hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) in urban and peri-urban habitats.Parasites & vectors · 2020Article
- Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) Parasitizing Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Slovakia and New Data About Subgenus Pholeoixodes Occurrence.Acta parasitologica · 2020Article
- Biotic and abiotic factors influencing the prevalence, intensity and distribution ofInternational journal for parasitology. Parasites and wildlife · 2020Article
- Under the skin: Ixodes ticks in the subcutaneous tissue of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from Germany.Parasites & vectors · 2020Article
- Ticks are more suitable than red foxes for monitoring zoonotic tick-borne pathogens in northeastern Italy.Parasites & vectors · 2018Article
- Contributions to the phylogeny of Ixodes (Pholeoixodes) canisuga, I. (Ph.) kaiseri, I. (Ph.) hexagonus and a simple pictorial key for the identification of their females.Parasites & vectors · 2017Article
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6 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundThe red fox Vulpes vulpes is the most common mesocarnivore in Europe and with a wide geographical distribution and a high density in most terrestrial habitats of the continent. It is fast urbanising species, which can harbor high numbers of different tick species, depending on the region. Here we present the results of a large-scale study, trying to disentangle the intricate relationship between environmental factors and the species composition of ectoparasites in red foxes. The samples were collected in Transylvania (Romania), a region with a diverse geography and high biodiversity. The dead foxes (collected primarily through the National Surveillance Rabies Program) were examined carefully for the presence of ticks.
resultsTicks (n = 4578) were found on 158 foxes (out of 293 examined; 53.9%). Four species were identified: Dermacentor marginatus, Ixodes canisuga, I. hexagonus and I. ricinus. The most common tick species was I. hexagonus (mean prevalence 37.5%, mean intensity 32.2), followed by I. ricinus (15.0%; 4.86), I. canisuga (4.8%; 7.71) and D. marginatus (3.7%; 3.45). Co-occurrence of two or more tick species on the same host was relatively common (12.6%), the most common co-occurrence being I. hexagonus - I. ricinus. For D. marginatus and I. canisuga the highest prevalence was recorded in lowlands, for I. hexagonus in hilly areas, while for I. ricinus in mountains.
conclusionsAltitude influenced the intensity of parasitism, with highest intensity observed for all Ixodes species in hilly areas. Dermacentor marginatus occurred only in lowlands, I. canisuga in lowlands and hilly areas while the other two species occurred in all of the regions studied. Foxes from lower altitudes had the most tick species associated, with most incidences of co-parasitism also recorded here. Land use affected tick-species composition, with the presence of D. marginatus strongly associated with the extension of arable areas and lack of forests. The presence of I. hexagonus was determined only by the extent of arable lands. As foxes are frontrunners of wildlife urbanization process, with a continuous increase of their numbers in urban areas, the knowledge of their ticks' ecology (and the pathogens vectored by these) is of utmost importance.
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