A new tick species with the name Dermacentor marginatus has been discovered for the first time in Sweden, reports the National Veterinary Institute (SVA) in a press release.
In Sweden, it is called the mottled sheep tick and was found in the Stockholm area. It is otherwise usually found in southern Europe, Iran, Kazakhstan, and the mountainous regions of Central Asia, and is related to several new ticks that have recently been found in Sweden.
Bringing them home from travel
According to Anna Omazic, a researcher at SVA, the ticks come here when we travel, mainly to southern Europe, and follow both humans and animals.
Check your body and clothes to make sure they are not stuck. Check your dog or other animals that travel. Feel free to contact a veterinarian beforehand to get the best tick remedy. There are other ticks we do not want to get here, she says.
Dermacentor marginatus can carry viruses, bacteria, and parasites that have not previously existed in Sweden. The pathogen Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus can cause severe disease in humans, but according to SVA, analyses have so far been negative for that virus.
Can affect the heart
Analyses of other pathogens, such as Coxiella burnetii, which causes Q fever, are still ongoing. It can be transmitted from animals to humans and lead to pneumonia and more chronic infections that can affect the heart.
So far, Dermacentor marginatus has only been found in individual specimens. But if it finds a partner and reproduces, the increased temperatures due to climate change can make the tick go from being a visitor to becoming native.
But if we compare with our usual tick, we should be more cautious with it, since we have it in larger quantities, says Anna Omazic at SVA.
SVA urges the public to report all ordinary and unusual tick finds to their web tool Report Tick so that the authority can map the spread of ticks.
