Omazic et al.
Ixodid tick species found in northern Sweden – Data from a frontier area
Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2023;14(6):102244. doi:10.1016/j.ttbdis.2023.102244
Zakham et al.
Molecular detection of pathogens from ticks collected from dogs and cats at veterinary clinics in Finland
Parasit Vectors. 2023;16(1):327. doi:10.1186/s13071-023-05864-4
Sweden’s tick fauna has been studied since 1920. Recently, the taiga tick Ixodes persulcatus has become established in northern Sweden, most probably introduced by migrating birds. I. persulcatus has also been found in eastern, middle and southern Finland.
Citizen science collections have been carried out in some northern Swedish provinces in order to get more information about the distribution of various tick species. In this present study, I. persulcatus was found across a broader geographical area compared to previously published data.
I. persulcatus was found in four Swedish provinces: Lappland, Norrbotten, Västerbotten and Jämtland. These findings indicate that permanent population of I. persulcatus may be predominantly distributed along Sweden’s northernmost coastline but can also be found further west in northern Sweden. I. persulcatus has enlarged its distributional area in Sweden compared to previous reports.
In another study, ticks were collected from pet dogs and cats in Finland and were analyzed for pathogens, I. persulcatus ticks were found in middle and southern Finland, and this tick species was the second most common tick species after I. ricinus collected in this study.
It should be mentioned here that I. persulcatus is the main vector of the Siberian and Far Eastern subtypes of TBE virus, and thus there is the risk of infections with these TBE virus subtypes in Sweden and Finland.