Objective
Lyme borreliosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the spirochaete Borreliaburgdorferi and transmitted by ticks of the Ixodes ricinus species complex.It has a world-wide distribution, mainly in the northern hemisphere involvingwestern, central and eastern Europe as well as temperate Asia and North AmericaMany thousands of cases are known to occur every year in Europe and the diseasecan be seriously debilitating resulting in various symptoms involving the skin,nervous system, heart and joints. Diagnosis and treatment are still difficultand it is therefore important to determine the degree of risk in relation toboth exposure and prophylactic treatment. The risk of disease almost certainly varies in different geographical areas due to differences in vectors, habitats and spirochaete strains. The existing Concerted Action is determining the degreand significance of these differences in order to assess risk in the different geographical areas involved, by examining tick densities, tick hosts, spirochaehosts, spirochaete serotypes and pathotypes, tick strains in relation to aggresveness and vector capability, the dynamics of spirochaete circulation between hand the pattern of human exposure. The risk of infection following a tick bite being assessed from data on clinical cases in relation to tick infection rates,engorgement periods, methods of tick removal and sero- and pathotypes. These dawill be integrated on a geographical basis, which will result in the definitionthe requirements and means for intervention at both the patient and habitat levConsiderable data have already been collected and in order to further emphasisepan- European nature of this study it is proposed to attach scientists from cenand eastern Europe to already structured and functioning components of the exisConcerted Action (Actions). Not only will this extend the benefits of the ConceAction to the new countries involved, but will also greatly increase the overalvalue of the project since an enormous amount of inaccessible data on the ecoloticks and tick-borne zoonoses already exists in many of these countries.
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
4 Dublin
Ireland