Ixodes populations (Ixodes ricinus Linné, 1758; Ixodes Hexagonus Leach, 1815) in the city of Lyon (France) and its outskirts: Preliminary results

Abstract

For an eco-epidemiological purpose concerning environmental factors associated with Lyme borreliosis in France, Ixodes s.l. ticks were collected in the city of Lyon and its outskirts. The study area was divided in three ecological parts: urban core, suburban and periurban areas. Free stages of ticks were collected by using the flagging method; parasitic stages were picked up on domestic cat. Two species were discovered: Ixodes ricinus (Linné, 1758), free and parasitic stages; Ixodes hexagonus (Leach, 1815), parasitic stages. Ixodes ricinus is more frequent as one goes from the very center of the city to the peripheral areas, where it colonizes natural as well as semi-natural and even some artificialized forests. Ixodes hexagonus, missing from town center, was collected in the suburban area but it was mainly found in the periurban area. Epidemiologicol incidence of these findings is emphasized.