Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30969028›Full record

ArticleZoonoses and public health2019

Discrepancies between self-reported tick bites and evidence of tick-borne disease exposure among nomadic Mongolian herders.

Sukhbaatar Lkhagvatseren, Kathryn M Hogan, Bazartseren Boldbaatar, Michael E von Fricken, Benjamin D Anderson, Laura A Pulscher, Luke Caddell, Pagbajabyn Nymadawa, Gregory C Gray

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Zoonoses and public health, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.0field-weighted citation impact, top 29% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 12 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Analysis of the Microbial Community Structure ofAnimals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2025
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Metagenomic profiles ofFrontiers in microbiology · 2022
    Article
  6. Article
  7. Molecular Characteristics ofPathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2020
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.

Sukhbaatar LkhagvatserenInstitute of Veterinary Medicine, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Kathryn M HoganDepartment of Global and Community Health, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia.
Bazartseren BoldbaatarInstitute of Veterinary Medicine, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Michael E von FrickenDepartment of Global and Community Health, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia.ORCID 0000-0003-2938-4549
Benjamin D AndersonDivision of Infectious Disease, Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Laura A PulscherDivision of Infectious Disease, Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Luke CaddellLeonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, Florida.
Pagbajabyn NymadawaMongolian Academy of Medical Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Gregory C GrayDivision of Infectious Disease, Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Duke University · USGeorge Mason University · USMongolian University of Life Sciences · MNMongolian Academy of Sciences · MNUniversity of Miami · US

Funding

One Health Innovation Fellowships for Zoonotic Disease Research In MongoliaD43TW009373 · FIC · UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA · PI GRAY, GREGORY CHARLES · 2013 to 2017
$1.6M
FIC NIH HHS D43 TW009373
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Twenty-six per cent of Mongolians live pastoral lifestyles, increasing their likelihood of exposure to ticks and placing them at a higher risk for contracting tick-borne diseases (TBDs). Anaplasma spp. and Rickettsia spp. have been identified in ticks, livestock and humans in Mongolia, but no known qualitative research has been conducted investigating the association between nomadic herder characteristics, tick bite history and exposure to TBDs. To better understand the association between self-reported tick bites and symptoms versus actual exposure to TBDs, this study paired serological data with 335 surveys administered to Mongolian herders, ages 12-69, from 2014 to 2015. Logistic regression results identified no significant associations between reported tick bites or symptoms with serological evidence of Anaplasma spp. and Rickettsia spp. controlling for age, gender and aimag. Among the 335 respondents who were seropositive to either Anaplasma spp. or Rickettsia spp., 32.9% self-reported experiencing abnormal symptoms such as redness, inflammation, headache, arthritis or fever after being bitten. Alternatively, 17.3% (58/335) of individuals reported experiencing symptoms following a tick bite in instances where serological results indicated no exposure to Anaplasma spp. or Rickettsia spp. Results also identified inconsistencies in reporting and seroprevalence among different age groups, with children having the highest reporting and treatment seeking rates but low levels of exposure in comparison with other groups. While survey results showed that individuals were aware of peak tick seasons and tick species that inhabit specific areas, 58% of heads of households (49/84) were unaware that ticks can cause disease in livestock or dogs. This study suggests that herders are an at-risk population in Mongolia with gaps in awareness of TBD risk. Increased surveillance paired with focused outreach to prevent TBDs targeted to the herder population is encouraged.

Indexed as

Transients and MigrantsAdolescentAdultAgedAnaplasmaAnaplasmosisAnimal HusbandryAnimalsAntibodies, BacterialChildChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansInfantMaleMiddle AgedAntibodies, BacterialanaplasmosisMongolianomadic herdersrickettsiatick-borne diseases

Identifiers

PMID30969028
PMCPMC6629472
OpenAlexW2939394489

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.