The tick Dermacentor reticulatus and Central Europe - spatiotemporal changes at the beginning of the millennium and epidemiological risks

The project is focused on the research of causes and possible epidemiological risks of the current spread of one of the most important ticks in Europe, Dermacentor reticulatus, in Poland and Slovakia, with the fastest expansion of its range in Central Europe. A specific spatial and temporal phenomenon is the approaching joining of its hitherto isolated populations in southern, western and eastern Europe on the territory of Poland, where until the end of the 20th century a wide gap in its range in central Europe was registered. The aim of the project is to compare the relative densities on vegetation, hosts and the spectrum of pathogens transmitted by this tick in the original and new areas of its range and to analyse the causes and possible consequences of the joining of these hitherto isolated populations. This phenomenon creates a historically unique opportunity for comprehensive targeted applied research on the ecology, zoogeography and epidemiology of tick-borne diseases of humans and animals, to which the research team aims to contribute.