This book brings together expert opinions from scientists to consider
the evidence for climate change and its impacts on ticks and tick-borne
infections, and provide predictions for the future. It considers what is
meant by "climate change," how relevant climate models are to
ecosystems, and predictions for changes in climate at global, regional,
and local scales relevant for ticks and tick-borne infections. It
examines changes to tick distribution and the evidence that climate
change is responsible. The effect of climate on the physiology and
metabolism of ticks, including potentially critical impacts on the tick
microbiome is stressed. Given that the notoriety of ticks derives from
pathogens they transmit, do changes in climate affect vector capacity?
Ticks transmit a remarkable range of micro- and macro-parasites many of
which are pathogens of humans and domesticated animals. The intimacy
between tick-borne agent and tick vector means that any impacts of
climate on a tick vector will impact tick-borne pathogens. Most
obviously, such impacts will be apparent as changes in disease incidence
and prevalence. The evidence that climate change is affecting diseases
caused by tick-borne pathogens is considered, along with the potential
to make robust predictions of future events.
