Postindustrial Landscapes Are Neglected Localities That May Play an Important Role in the Urban Ecology of Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases—A Pilot Study

Abstract

Background: Numerous recent studies have shown that ticks and tick-borne pathogens pose a considerable threat in urban areas, such as parks, playgrounds, zoos, cemeteries, etc. Abandoned postindustrial localities, and other types of vague terrain, are other examples of urban wilderness areas that have been absolutely neglected in respect to ticks and tick-borne pathogens thus far, even though they provide ideal biotopes for ticks. Methods: The abundance of ticks and prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato spirochetes were compared between a city park and an adjacent abandoned construction waste disposal site in Prague, Czechia from June to October 2021. Results: The results showed that ticks and borrelia spirochetes are present at the city park as well as at the abandoned construction waste disposal site, although in lower numbers. Discussion: According to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing the presence of ticks and tick-borne pathogens in an urban postindustrial landscape. More detailed studies are needed to uncover the role of these localities in the ecology of ticks and ecoepidemiology of tick-borne diseases in urban areas.