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Landscape features associated with lyme disease risk in a suburban residential environment

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Abstract

The landscape features of residential properties within two communities were studied in relation to the abundance of the tick vector Ixodes scapularis. Habitat types of 400 properties, located in a Lyme disease endemic area of Westchester Co., New York, USA, were categorized into lawn, ornamental, ecotone, woods, and stone wall as measured from aerial photographs and sampled for nymphal-stage ticks. Logistic regression results indicate that presence or absence of ticks is influenced by the proportion of either lawn or woodland, and total woodland area. Poisson regression results indicate the abundance of nymphs is negatively associated with proportion, area, and patch frequency of lawn, and positively associated with proportion, area, and patch frequency of woodland. Predictions of tick presence and abundance from landscape features at the scale of individual property is useful for implementing disease prevention measures.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA

    Denise H. Frank

  2. Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, P.O. Box 208034, New Haven, CT, 06520-8034, USA

    Durland Fish

  3. Graduate School of Health Sciences, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA

    Fred H. Moy

Authors
  1. Denise H. Frank
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  2. Durland Fish
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  3. Fred H. Moy
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Frank, D.H., Fish, D. & Moy, F.H. Landscape features associated with lyme disease risk in a suburban residential environment. Landscape Ecology 13, 27–36 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007965600166

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007965600166

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