This report of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) was produced by the VectorNet project (European network for sharing data on the geographic distribution of arthropod vectors transmitting human and animal disease agents).
Vector sampling protocols outlining the recommended methods for collecting vectors have been issued today by ECDC and EFSA, to support entomologists and public-health professionals in Europe. It is a first attempt to summarise best-practices in terms of methods and strategies for sampling mosquitoes, sandflies, biting midges and ticks.
What are the different species of ticks in Europe, where are they found and what diseases can they transmit? Why does disease transmission occurs in spring and summer? What is a tick's life cycle?
Ixodes ricinus are sensitive to climatic conditions, requiring a relative humidity of 80%, they are primarily observed across Europe in deciduous woodland and mixed forest.