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Do clients know enough to protect their pets and themselves from tick-borne diseases?

01 September 2012
11 mins read
Volume 3 · Issue 7

Abstract

Background: In the past risks from ticks and tick-borne diseases (TBDs) have been limited to particular times of the year and particular areas of the UK. However, in recent years the abundance and distribution of ticks in the UK has increased and ticks have been found to be active for prolonged periods. This has led to an increased risk from ticks and native TBDs. Additionally since the introduction of the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) in 2000 the risks from exotic ticks and exotic TBDs have increased. Client and staff knowledge is therefore essential to minimize the impact of these increased risks.

Aim: To investigate client and staff knowledge of ticks and related issues in different areas of the UK.

Materials and methods: Client and staff questionnaires were produced to test their knowledge of ticks and related issues via multiple-choice quiz type questions. They were distributed to five practices in a zoonotic high-risk area and five in a zoonotic low-risk area, determined according to the prevalence of borreliosis (Lyme disease). Once completed, client and staff questionnaires were marked and given a knowledge score with one mark for every correct answer selected.

Results: Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that clients and staff in zoonotic high-risk areas had significantly (p<0.001 and p=0.006 respectively) better knowledge compared with those in zoonotic low-risk areas. No significant difference was found in the knowledge of clients who were members of PETS and those who were not.

Conclusions: Risks posed by ticks and TBDs are no longer confined to high-risk areas. Tick populations are growing and expanding, people travel within the UK as well as abroad with their pets, and due to PETS the risk of exposure to exotic diseases both abroad and within the UK is increasing (especially in view of changes to the scheme in January 2012). All clients whether residing in high or low-risk areas need to be made aware of ticks, the potential for tick-borne diseases and how to protect their pets from such diseases.

Ticks are not only capable of causing damage to their host through their physical attachment but also through their ability to act as a vector for various viral, bacterial and protozoal diseases both abroad and in the UK. Sauer et al (2000) discuss how when feeding, in order to concentrate their blood meal, ticks go through periods of sucking followed by periods of excretion which lengthen as time progresses. It is this excretion back into the host that allows for the transmission of infectious pathogens (Sauer et al, 2000). Additionally as feeding time lengthens the likelihood of transmission occurring is increased (Schoeman and Leisewitz, 2006; Health Protection Agency, 2012a).

Ticks are endemic throughout the UK but in greater densities in certain areas, possibly due to greater quantities of woodland/scrubland in such areas which provide an ideal environment for ticks to reside. In recent years the abundance and distribution of ticks has increased (Scharlemann et al, 2008) and their activity throughout the year prolonged (Smith et al, 2011). This is likely due to changes in climate, change in landscape such as reforestation and increases in the populations of wild hosts such as roe deer (Gilbert, 2010; Beugnet et al, 2011). Within the UK, Ixodes ricinus the ‘sheep tick’ is the most abundant and widely distributed species of tick (Pietzsch, 2005; Smith et al, 2011). Other species that have been identified within the UK, although to a lesser degree, are Dermacentor reticulatus and Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Hoyle et al, 2001; Jameson et al, 2010). In contrast to most tick species R. sanguineus has adapted to survive in more urban environments, such as kennels and attics, potentially increasing the risk of contact with humans and their companion animals (Cousquer, 2006; Little et al, 2007).

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