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

壁虱传播疾病(TBD)在英国等温带地区构成的威胁正在迅速增长。人类接触往往与林地有关，这些林地支持高密度的扁虱媒介和这些病原体的关键野生动物宿主，并被人们大量使用。气候变化和政府增加林地连通性和改善人类娱乐途径的政策极有可能增加英国的待定疾病风险。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活动和栖息地利用的影响，这些野生动物物种是扁虱和人畜共患病原体的关键宿主。我们还需要了解人类如何利用景观，他们在哪里最有可能被扁虱叮咬，以及是否可以通过栖息地和宿主管理来防止暴露。鉴于最近欧洲各地待测疾病和壁虱种群分布的变化，了解较长期的气候和土地利用变化可能如何影响待定疾病的引入、建立和传播也是至关重要的。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，同时通过以下方式最大限度地减少当前和未来扁虱传播疾病的人类风险：1.将与景观和待定发展系统互动的卫生、土地和生物多样性政策中的关键国家和区域参与者聚集在一起，为待定疾病制定关键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模拟，更好地了解景观结构如何影响野生动物宿主的分布、栖息地的选择和移动，从而对扁虱和结核病风险产生影响。绘制人们如何使用林地景观，以及这与遭遇受感染扁虱的风险如何相互作用，以确定人类暴露的高危地区4。模拟潜在的环境障碍和干预措施如何减少人类暴露，整合这些关于景观生态相互作用的知识5。预测林地面积、气候和鸟类迁徙模式的变化将如何改变未来的待定疾病风险6.与当地的利益相关者和政策制定者共同开发干预措施，将当前和未来的待定疾病风险降至最低。研究将集中在三种对英国构成风险的新兴病原体上。首先是莱姆病(LD)，目前存在于英国，可导致长期虚弱。自2000年以来，报告的LD病例增加了10倍，可能与其主要扁虱媒介--蓖麻硬蜱的分布扩大有关。其次，硬体脑炎(TBE)，最近在英国的硬壳中发现，2019年有疑似人类病例的证据。TBE使用相同的扁虱媒介，可能会导致严重的神经损伤和死亡，欧洲大陆每年报告的病例约为5000至12000例。第三，克里米亚刚果出血热(CCHF)由世卫组织优先病原体CCHF病毒引起，具有流行潜力，正在欧洲西北部蔓延。它的扁虱媒介Hyalomma spp.是最近在抵达英国的候鸟身上发现的。TICKSOLVE项目平台和方法是与利益相关者共同开发研究、模型和风险沟通材料，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，将这些不同的待定目标的风险降至最低。此外，通过网络研讨会和会议与重要的全球合作伙伴和网络接触，将有助于将TICKSOLVE跨学科方法转移到世界各地其他迅速变化的壁虱传播疾病系统。

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.