An Emerging Role for Ticks as Vectors of Tularaemia in Sweden.

Background: The zoonotic bacterium Francisella tularensis, the causative agent of tularaemia, can be transmitted to humans via multiple routes, including through contact with infected animals, contaminated water or arthropod vectors. Ticks have not previously been described as transmitting the disease in Sweden. Recently, Ixodid tick species have expanded their latitudinal and altitudinal range in Sweden to areas where the disease is endemic.

Ixodid tick species found in northern Sweden - Data from a frontier area.

Environmental and climatic changes in northern Europe have shaped a geographical area in which new tick species may become established and introduce new tick-borne pathogens. In recent decades, ticks have expanded their latitudinal and altitudinal range limits in northern Sweden. In this study, ticks were collected in 2018 and 2019 in northern Sweden from different hosts, mainly from dogs, cats and humans.

Decision-support tools to build climate resilience against emerging infectious diseases in Europe and beyond.

Climate change is one of several drivers of recurrent outbreaks and geographical range expansion of infectious diseases in Europe. We propose a framework for the co-production of policy-relevant indicators and decision-support tools that track past, present, and future climate-induced disease risks across hazard, exposure, and vulnerability domains at the animal, human, and environmental interface. This entails the co-development of early warning and response systems and tools to assess the costs and benefits of climate change adaptation and mitigation measures across sectors, to increase health system resilience at regional and local levels and reveal novel policy entry points and opportunities.

Infectious keratoconjunctivitis in semi-domesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus): a questionnaire-based study among reindeer herders in Norway and Sweden.

Background: The effects of climate change, loss of pastureland to other land usage and presence of large carnivores are the main reasons for the increase in supplementary feeding of semi-domesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) in Fennoscandia over the last decades. Feeding might expose reindeer to stress and increased animal-to-animal contact, leading to an increased risk of infectious disease transmission, such as infectious keratoconjunctivitis (IKC). As it can develop rapidly and be very painful, IKC is described as an important animal welfare concern and a potential source of economic loss.

A multi-country One Health foodborne outbreak simulation exercise: cross-sectoral cooperation, data sharing and communication.

Introduction: The awareness of scientists and policy makers regarding the requirement for an integrated One Health (OH) approach in responding to zoonoses has increased in recent years. However, there remains an overall inertia in relation to the implementation of practical cross-sector collaborations. Foodborne outbreaks of zoonotic diseases continue to affect the European population despite stringent regulations, evidencing the requirement for better 'prevent, detect and response' strategies.

Presence of spp. and Their Associated Antibodies in the Swedish Goat Population.

Anaplasmosis is a tick-borne disease that has a severe impact on livestock production and welfare. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the presence of spp. and associated antibodies in a subset of the Swedish goat population.

A Disease Outbreak in Beef Cattle Associated with and Infections.

An outbreak of disease in a Swedish beef cattle herd initiated an in-depth study to investigate the presence of bacteria and viruses in the blood of clinically healthy ( = 10) and clinically diseased cattle ( = 20) using whole-genome shotgun sequencing (WGSS). The occurrence of infectious agents was also investigated in ticks found attached to healthy cattle ( = 61) and wild deer (n = 23), and in spleen samples from wild deer ( = 30) and wild boars ( = 10). Moreover, blood samples from 84 clinically healthy young stock were analysed for antibodies against and The WGSS revealed the presence of at least three distinct variants that were most closely related to .

A Novel High Discriminatory Protocol for the Detection of , Sensu Stricto and in Ticks.

Bacteria of the sensu lato complex are the causative agents of Lyme borreliosis (LB). Even if the conventional diagnosis of LB does not rely on the species itself, an accurate species identification within the complex will provide a deepened epidemiological scenario, a better diagnosis leading to a more targeted therapeutic approach, as well as promote the general public's awareness. A comparative genomics approach based on the 210 spp.

Linking climate and infectious disease trends in the Northern/Arctic Region.

Recognition of climate-sensitive infectious diseases is crucial for mitigating health threats from climate change. Recent studies have reasoned about potential climate sensitivity of diseases in the Northern/Arctic Region, where climate change is particularly pronounced. By linking disease and climate data for this region, we here comprehensively quantify empirical climate-disease relationships.

Screening of Eurasian Tundra Reindeer for Viral Sequences by Next-Generation Sequencing.

Reindeer husbandry is essential for the livelihood and culture of indigenous people in the Arctic. Parts of the herding areas are also used as pastures for farm animals, facilitating potential transmission of viruses between species. Following the Covid-19 pandemic, viruses circulating in the wild are receiving increased attention, since they might pose a potential threat to human health.

Identifying climate-sensitive infectious diseases in animals and humans in Northern regions.

Background: General knowledge on climate change effects and adaptation strategies has increased significantly in recent years. However, there is still a substantial information gap regarding the influence of climate change on infectious diseases and how these diseases should be identified. From a One Health perspective, zoonotic infections are of particular concern.

Seroprevalence of pestivirus in Eurasian tundra reindeer in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Russian Federation.

Reindeer herding is of great importance for the indigenous people of the Fennoscandia peninsula and northern Russia. There are also free-ranging feral populations of reindeer in Finland, Iceland, Norway and Russian Federation. The genus contains several viral species that infect ungulates and often show capacity to transmit between different host species.

Discrepancies in data reporting of zoonotic infectious diseases across the Nordic countries - a call for action in the era of climate change.

Emerging infections have in recent years caused enormous health problems. About 70% of these infections are zoonotic e.g.