The Unexpected Holiday Souvenir: The Public Health Risk to UK Travellers from Ticks Acquired Overseas

Emma L. Gillingham, Benjamin Cull, Maaike E. Pietzsch, L. Paul Phipps, Jolyon M. Medlock and Kayleigh Hansford
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Emma L. Gillingham: Medical Entomology and Zoonoses Ecology, Emergency Response Department, Public Health England, Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JG, UK
Benjamin Cull: Medical Entomology and Zoonoses Ecology, Emergency Response Department, Public Health England, Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JG, UK
Maaike E. Pietzsch: Medical Entomology and Zoonoses Ecology, Emergency Response Department, Public Health England, Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JG, UK
L. Paul Phipps: Wildlife Zoonoses and Vector-Borne Research Group, Department of Virology, Animal and Plant Health Agency, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 3NB, UK
Jolyon M. Medlock: Medical Entomology and Zoonoses Ecology, Emergency Response Department, Public Health England, Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JG, UK
Kayleigh Hansford: Medical Entomology and Zoonoses Ecology, Emergency Response Department, Public Health England, Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JG, UK

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 21, 1-37

Abstract: Overseas travel to regions where ticks are found can increase travellers’ exposure to ticks and pathogens that may be unfamiliar to medical professionals in their home countries. Previous studies have detailed non-native tick species removed from recently returned travellers, occasionally leading to travel-associated human cases of exotic tick-borne disease. There are 20 species of tick endemic to the UK, yet UK travellers can be exposed to many other non-native species whilst overseas. Here, we report ticks received by Public Health England’s Tick Surveillance Scheme from humans with recent travel history between January 2006 and December 2018. Altogether, 16 tick species were received from people who had recently travelled overseas. Confirmed imports (acquired outside of the UK) were received from people who recently travelled to 22 countries. Possible imports (acquired abroad or within the UK) were received from people who had recently travelled to eight European countries. Species-specific literature reviews highlighted nine of the sixteen tick species are known to vector at least one tick-borne pathogen to humans in the country of acquisition, suggesting travellers exposed to ticks may be at risk of being bitten by a species that is a known vector, with implications for novel tick-borne disease transmission to travellers.

Keywords: tick-borne pathogens; Ixodes ricinus; Amblyomma americanum; Dermacentor; Hyalomma; Rhipicephalus; Ixodes; Amblyomma (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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