Analyzing the Potential Risk of Climate Change on Lyme Disease in Eastern Ontario, Canada Using Time Series Remotely Sensed Temperature Data and Tick Population Modelling

The number of Lyme disease cases (Lyme borreliosis) in Ontario, Canada has increased over the last decade, and that figure is projected to continue to increase. The northern limit of Lyme disease cases has also been progressing northward from the northeastern United States into southeastern Ontario....

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Angela Cheng, Dongmei Chen, Katherine Woodstock, Nicholas H. Ogden, Xiaotian Wu, Jianhong Wu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2017-06-01
Series:Remote Sensing
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/9/6/609
_version_ 1818083915020107776
author Angela Cheng
Dongmei Chen
Katherine Woodstock
Nicholas H. Ogden
Xiaotian Wu
Jianhong Wu
author_facet Angela Cheng
Dongmei Chen
Katherine Woodstock
Nicholas H. Ogden
Xiaotian Wu
Jianhong Wu
author_sort Angela Cheng
collection DOAJ
description The number of Lyme disease cases (Lyme borreliosis) in Ontario, Canada has increased over the last decade, and that figure is projected to continue to increase. The northern limit of Lyme disease cases has also been progressing northward from the northeastern United States into southeastern Ontario. Several factors such as climate change, changes in host abundance, host and vector migration, or possibly a combination of these factors likely contribute to the emergence of Lyme disease cases in eastern Ontario. This study first determined areas of warming using time series remotely sensed temperature data within Ontario, then analyzed possible spatial-temporal changes in Lyme disease risk in eastern Ontario from 2000 to 2013 due to climate change using tick population modeling. The outputs of the model were validated by using tick surveillance data from 2002 to 2012. Our results indicated areas in Ontario where Lyme disease risk changed from unsustainable to sustainable for sustaining Ixodes scapularis (black-legged tick) populations. This study provides evidence that climate change has facilitated the northward expansion of black-legged tick populations’ geographic range over the past decade. The results demonstrate that remote sensing data can be used to increase the spatial detail for Lyme disease risk mapping and provide risk maps for better awareness of possible Lyme disease cases. Further studies are required to determine the contribution of host migration and abundance on changes in eastern Ontario’s Lyme disease risk.
first_indexed 2024-12-10T19:45:34Z
format Article
id doaj.art-45b7bcf1493d4275b24098aae3a176c5
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2072-4292
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-10T19:45:34Z
publishDate 2017-06-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Remote Sensing
spelling doaj.art-45b7bcf1493d4275b24098aae3a176c52022-12-22T01:35:53ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922017-06-019660910.3390/rs9060609rs9060609Analyzing the Potential Risk of Climate Change on Lyme Disease in Eastern Ontario, Canada Using Time Series Remotely Sensed Temperature Data and Tick Population ModellingAngela Cheng0Dongmei Chen1Katherine Woodstock2Nicholas H. Ogden3Xiaotian Wu4Jianhong Wu5Department of Geography and Planning, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, CanadaDepartment of Geography and Planning, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, CanadaDepartment of Geography and Planning, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, CanadaPublic Health Risk Sciences Division, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, 3200 rue Sicotte, CP 5000, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC J2S 7C6, CanadaDepartment of Mathematics, Shanghai Maritime University, Shanghai 201306, ChinaLaboratory for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, CanadaThe number of Lyme disease cases (Lyme borreliosis) in Ontario, Canada has increased over the last decade, and that figure is projected to continue to increase. The northern limit of Lyme disease cases has also been progressing northward from the northeastern United States into southeastern Ontario. Several factors such as climate change, changes in host abundance, host and vector migration, or possibly a combination of these factors likely contribute to the emergence of Lyme disease cases in eastern Ontario. This study first determined areas of warming using time series remotely sensed temperature data within Ontario, then analyzed possible spatial-temporal changes in Lyme disease risk in eastern Ontario from 2000 to 2013 due to climate change using tick population modeling. The outputs of the model were validated by using tick surveillance data from 2002 to 2012. Our results indicated areas in Ontario where Lyme disease risk changed from unsustainable to sustainable for sustaining Ixodes scapularis (black-legged tick) populations. This study provides evidence that climate change has facilitated the northward expansion of black-legged tick populations’ geographic range over the past decade. The results demonstrate that remote sensing data can be used to increase the spatial detail for Lyme disease risk mapping and provide risk maps for better awareness of possible Lyme disease cases. Further studies are required to determine the contribution of host migration and abundance on changes in eastern Ontario’s Lyme disease risk.http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/9/6/609Lyme diseaseclimate changeIxodes scapularisMODIS temperature productremote sensingmathematic population modeling
spellingShingle Angela Cheng
Dongmei Chen
Katherine Woodstock
Nicholas H. Ogden
Xiaotian Wu
Jianhong Wu
Analyzing the Potential Risk of Climate Change on Lyme Disease in Eastern Ontario, Canada Using Time Series Remotely Sensed Temperature Data and Tick Population Modelling
Remote Sensing
Lyme disease
climate change
Ixodes scapularis
MODIS temperature product
remote sensing
mathematic population modeling
title Analyzing the Potential Risk of Climate Change on Lyme Disease in Eastern Ontario, Canada Using Time Series Remotely Sensed Temperature Data and Tick Population Modelling
title_full Analyzing the Potential Risk of Climate Change on Lyme Disease in Eastern Ontario, Canada Using Time Series Remotely Sensed Temperature Data and Tick Population Modelling
title_fullStr Analyzing the Potential Risk of Climate Change on Lyme Disease in Eastern Ontario, Canada Using Time Series Remotely Sensed Temperature Data and Tick Population Modelling
title_full_unstemmed Analyzing the Potential Risk of Climate Change on Lyme Disease in Eastern Ontario, Canada Using Time Series Remotely Sensed Temperature Data and Tick Population Modelling
title_short Analyzing the Potential Risk of Climate Change on Lyme Disease in Eastern Ontario, Canada Using Time Series Remotely Sensed Temperature Data and Tick Population Modelling
title_sort analyzing the potential risk of climate change on lyme disease in eastern ontario canada using time series remotely sensed temperature data and tick population modelling
topic Lyme disease
climate change
Ixodes scapularis
MODIS temperature product
remote sensing
mathematic population modeling
url http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/9/6/609
work_keys_str_mv AT angelacheng analyzingthepotentialriskofclimatechangeonlymediseaseineasternontariocanadausingtimeseriesremotelysensedtemperaturedataandtickpopulationmodelling
AT dongmeichen analyzingthepotentialriskofclimatechangeonlymediseaseineasternontariocanadausingtimeseriesremotelysensedtemperaturedataandtickpopulationmodelling
AT katherinewoodstock analyzingthepotentialriskofclimatechangeonlymediseaseineasternontariocanadausingtimeseriesremotelysensedtemperaturedataandtickpopulationmodelling
AT nicholashogden analyzingthepotentialriskofclimatechangeonlymediseaseineasternontariocanadausingtimeseriesremotelysensedtemperaturedataandtickpopulationmodelling
AT xiaotianwu analyzingthepotentialriskofclimatechangeonlymediseaseineasternontariocanadausingtimeseriesremotelysensedtemperaturedataandtickpopulationmodelling
AT jianhongwu analyzingthepotentialriskofclimatechangeonlymediseaseineasternontariocanadausingtimeseriesremotelysensedtemperaturedataandtickpopulationmodelling