Environmental solutions to reduce the risk of current and future tick-borne zoonotic pathogens in the UK

蜱传疾病（TBD）在英国等温带地区构成的威胁正在迅速增长。人类接触通常与林地有关，林地支持高密度的蜱媒和这些病原体的关键野生动物宿主，并被人们密集使用。气候变化和政府增加林地连通性和改善人类娱乐活动的政策很可能增加英国TBD的风险。为了减轻这种威胁，我们需要更好地了解景观结构对这些野生动物物种的运动和栖息地利用的影响，这些野生动物物种是蜱虫和人畜共患病病原体的关键宿主。我们还需要了解人类如何使用景观，他们最有可能暴露于蜱虫叮咬的地方，以及是否可以通过栖息地和宿主管理来预防暴露。鉴于最近欧洲各地TBD和蜱虫种群分布的变化，了解长期气候和土地利用变化如何影响TBD的引入、建立和传播也至关重要。TICKSOLVE汇集了来自生态学、流行病学、公共卫生和社会科学的研究人员，旨在解决这些差距。我们将为最佳绿化和林地恢复政策提供证据，这些政策将最大限度地提高生物多样性和人类福祉的效益，同时最大限度地减少当前和未来蜱传疾病对人类的风险：1.将与景观和TBD系统相互作用的卫生、土地和生物多样性政策方面的国家和区域一级关键行为者聚集在一起，为TBD制定关键的风险情景和可行的环境干预措施。2.结合生态调查、病原体遗传学和计算机建模，更好地了解景观结构如何塑造野生动物宿主分布、栖息地选择和运动，从而影响蜱虫和TBD风险3。绘制人们如何使用林地景观以及这与遇到受感染蜱虫的风险如何相互作用的地图，以确定人类感染的高风险区域4。模拟潜在的环境障碍和干预措施如何减少人类接触，整合整个生态系统的生态相互作用知识5。预测林地面积、气候和鸟类迁徙模式的变化如何改变未来TBD风险。与当地利益相关者和政策制定者共同制定干预措施，以最大限度地减少当前和未来的TBD风险。研究将集中在对英国构成风险的三种新兴病原体上。首先是莱姆病（LD），目前在英国存在，可导致长期虚弱。自2000年以来，报告的LD病例增加了10倍，这可能与其主要蜱虫媒介篦齿硬蜱的分布扩大有关。其次是蜱传脑炎（TBE），最近在英国的蜱虫中发现，有证据表明2019年有疑似人类病例。TBE使用相同的蜱虫媒介，可导致严重的神经损伤和死亡，欧洲大陆每年报告约5，000至12，000例病例。第三，克里米亚刚果出血热由世卫组织的一种重点病原体病毒引起，具有流行潜力，正在欧洲西北部蔓延。这是蜱虫媒介，透明蜱属，最近在抵达英国的候鸟身上发现了这种病毒TICKSOLVE项目平台和与利益相关者共同开发研究、模型和风险沟通材料的方法，考虑到不同的土地管理优先事项，将有助于制定面向未来的林地和绿化政策，最大限度地减少这些不同的TBD风险。此外，通过网络研讨会和会议与全球主要合作伙伴和网络的合作将促进TICKSOLVE跨学科方法向全球其他快速变化的蜱传疾病系统的转移。

The threat posed by tick-borne diseases (TBD) in temperate regions such as the UK is growing rapidly. Human exposure is often linked to woodlands that support high densities of tick vectors and key wildlife hosts of these pathogens, and are intensively used by people. Climate change and government policies to increase woodland connectivity and improve human recreational access are highly likely to increase risks of TBD in the UK. To mitigate this threat we need to better understand effects of landscape structure on the movement and habitat use of those wildlife species which are key hosts for ticks and zoonotic pathogens. We also need to understand how humans use landscapes, where they are most at risk of exposure to tick bites and whether exposure could be prevented by habitat and host management. Given recent shifts across Europe in the distributions of TBD and tick populations, it is also critical to understand how longer term climate and land use changes may affect the introduction, establishment and spread of TBDs. Bringing together researchers from ecology, epidemiology, public health, and social science, TICKSOLVE aims to address these gaps. We will provide evidence for optimal greening and woodland restoration policies that will maximise benefits to biodiversity and human wellbeing while minimising human risks from current and future tick-borne diseases by:1. Bringing together key national and regional level actors in health, land and biodiversity policy that interact with landscapes and TBD systems, to frame key risk scenarios and feasible environmental interventions for TBDs. 2. Better understanding how landscape structure shapes wildlife host distribution, habitat selection and movements and consequently impacts on ticks and TBD risk combining ecological surveys, pathogen genetics and computer modelling3. Mapping how people use woodland landscapes and how this interacts with risk of encountering infected ticks to identify high risk areas for human exposure4. Modelling how potential environmental barriers and interventions could reduce human exposure, integrating this knowledge of ecological interactions across the landscapes5. Predicting how changes in woodland area and climate and patterns of bird migration may change TBD risks in the future 6. Co-developing interventions to minimise current and future TBD risks with stakeholders and policymakers that are locally appropriate.The research will focus on three emerging pathogens that pose a risk to the UK. Firstly Lyme disease (LD) which is currently present in the UK and can cause long-term debilitation. Reported cases of LD have increased 10-fold since 2000, probably linked to an expanding distribution of its main tick vector, Ixodes ricinus. Secondly, tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) which has been recently detected in ticks in the UK with evidence of suspected human cases in 2019. TBE uses the same tick vector and can cause severe neurological damage and death with some 5,000 to 12,000 reported cases each year in mainland Europe. Thirdly, Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), caused by a WHO priority pathogen CCHF virus, with epidemic potential, is expanding north-westward in Europe. It's tick vector, Hyalomma spp., was found recently on migratory birds arriving in the UK. The TICKSOLVE project platform and approach of co-developing research, models and risk communication materials with stakeholders, accounting for diverse land management priorities, will enable formulation of future-proofed woodland and greening policies that minimise risks of these diverse TBDs. Furthermore, engagement with key global partners and networks through webinars and meetings will facilitate transfer of TICKSOLVE inter-disciplinary approaches to other rapidly changing tick-borne disease systems worldwide.