A systematic review of the effectiveness and utility of Lyme disease prevention measures in Canada, the United States, and Europe

Abstract Background This systematic review aimed to assess the effectiveness of interventions which reduce human-tick encounters, prevent tick bites, and reduce the risk of Borrelia burgdorferi transmission, and to evaluate knowledge on the cost, environmental impact, social impact and acceptability...

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Main Authors: Katarina Ost, Michala Norman, Ariane Dumas, Tricia Corrin, Lisa Waddell, Renee Schryer, Claudia Duguay, Olivia Facchin, Kate Zinszer, Jean-Phillipe Rocheleau, Catherine Bouchard, Cécile Aenishaenslin, Alison Krentel, Cindy Feng, Manisha A. Kulkarni
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-07-01
Series:BMC Infectious Diseases
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-025-11183-z
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author Katarina Ost
Michala Norman
Ariane Dumas
Tricia Corrin
Lisa Waddell
Renee Schryer
Claudia Duguay
Olivia Facchin
Kate Zinszer
Jean-Phillipe Rocheleau
Catherine Bouchard
Cécile Aenishaenslin
Alison Krentel
Cindy Feng
Manisha A. Kulkarni
author_facet Katarina Ost
Michala Norman
Ariane Dumas
Tricia Corrin
Lisa Waddell
Renee Schryer
Claudia Duguay
Olivia Facchin
Kate Zinszer
Jean-Phillipe Rocheleau
Catherine Bouchard
Cécile Aenishaenslin
Alison Krentel
Cindy Feng
Manisha A. Kulkarni
author_sort Katarina Ost
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background This systematic review aimed to assess the effectiveness of interventions which reduce human-tick encounters, prevent tick bites, and reduce the risk of Borrelia burgdorferi transmission, and to evaluate knowledge on the cost, environmental impact, social impact and acceptability, and public health impact of these interventions. Methods The search was conducted in Medline, Embase, Global Health, CAB Abstracts, Cochrane CENTRAL, Scopus, and Econlit for relevant literature in March 2022 and was updated in November 2024 and followed PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews. Inclusion was applied at citation and full text, after which articles were assessed for risk of bias and data was extracted by two independent reviewers. Studies were summarized by intervention type (landscape management, host animal parasitism and movement, chemical/natural/botanical applications, personal protection) and a multi-study synthesis of tick suppression effects was conducted for interventions that reported the density of infected nymphs as the primary outcome. Results One hundred and twenty-seven studies published between 1977 and 2024 were included in this systematic review. Most studies (n = 62) were classified as host-targeted interventions. Twenty-five studies were included in the multi-study synthesis of tick suppression effects, which suggested that chemical tick control methods are the most effective and consistent intervention type with 93.8% mean suppression of questing nymphs. Conclusion While some strategies such as chemical acaricides were shown to have greater effectiveness, factors such as social acceptability and resistance, environmental impact, cost, and feasibility should be considered when selecting the most appropriate intervention to maximize the utility of the intervention.
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publishDate 2025-07-01
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spelling doaj-art-5b15674518264e4e80f8ee0f81d35d1f2025-08-20T03:45:22ZengBMCBMC Infectious Diseases1471-23342025-07-0125112310.1186/s12879-025-11183-zA systematic review of the effectiveness and utility of Lyme disease prevention measures in Canada, the United States, and EuropeKatarina Ost0Michala Norman1Ariane Dumas2Tricia Corrin3Lisa Waddell4Renee Schryer5Claudia Duguay6Olivia Facchin7Kate Zinszer8Jean-Phillipe Rocheleau9Catherine Bouchard10Cécile Aenishaenslin11Alison Krentel12Cindy Feng13Manisha A. Kulkarni14School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of OttawaSchool of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of OttawaPublic Health Risk Sciences Division | Division Sciences des risques pour la santé Publique, National Microbiology Laboratory | Laboratoire National de Microbiologie, Public Health Agency of Canada | Agence de la santé Publique du CanadaPublic Health Risk Sciences Division | Division Sciences des risques pour la santé Publique, National Microbiology Laboratory | Laboratoire National de Microbiologie, Public Health Agency of Canada | Agence de la santé Publique du CanadaPublic Health Risk Sciences Division | Division Sciences des risques pour la santé Publique, National Microbiology Laboratory | Laboratoire National de Microbiologie, Public Health Agency of Canada | Agence de la santé Publique du CanadaSchool of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of OttawaSchool of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of OttawaSchool of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of OttawaCanadian Lyme Disease Research NetworkCanadian Lyme Disease Research NetworkPublic Health Risk Sciences Division | Division Sciences des risques pour la santé Publique, National Microbiology Laboratory | Laboratoire National de Microbiologie, Public Health Agency of Canada | Agence de la santé Publique du CanadaCanadian Lyme Disease Research NetworkSchool of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of OttawaDalhousie UniversitySchool of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of OttawaAbstract Background This systematic review aimed to assess the effectiveness of interventions which reduce human-tick encounters, prevent tick bites, and reduce the risk of Borrelia burgdorferi transmission, and to evaluate knowledge on the cost, environmental impact, social impact and acceptability, and public health impact of these interventions. Methods The search was conducted in Medline, Embase, Global Health, CAB Abstracts, Cochrane CENTRAL, Scopus, and Econlit for relevant literature in March 2022 and was updated in November 2024 and followed PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews. Inclusion was applied at citation and full text, after which articles were assessed for risk of bias and data was extracted by two independent reviewers. Studies were summarized by intervention type (landscape management, host animal parasitism and movement, chemical/natural/botanical applications, personal protection) and a multi-study synthesis of tick suppression effects was conducted for interventions that reported the density of infected nymphs as the primary outcome. Results One hundred and twenty-seven studies published between 1977 and 2024 were included in this systematic review. Most studies (n = 62) were classified as host-targeted interventions. Twenty-five studies were included in the multi-study synthesis of tick suppression effects, which suggested that chemical tick control methods are the most effective and consistent intervention type with 93.8% mean suppression of questing nymphs. Conclusion While some strategies such as chemical acaricides were shown to have greater effectiveness, factors such as social acceptability and resistance, environmental impact, cost, and feasibility should be considered when selecting the most appropriate intervention to maximize the utility of the intervention.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-025-11183-zSystematic reviewTick controlLyme disease controlMulti-study synthesisFeasibilityUtility
spellingShingle Katarina Ost
Michala Norman
Ariane Dumas
Tricia Corrin
Lisa Waddell
Renee Schryer
Claudia Duguay
Olivia Facchin
Kate Zinszer
Jean-Phillipe Rocheleau
Catherine Bouchard
Cécile Aenishaenslin
Alison Krentel
Cindy Feng
Manisha A. Kulkarni
A systematic review of the effectiveness and utility of Lyme disease prevention measures in Canada, the United States, and Europe
BMC Infectious Diseases
Systematic review
Tick control
Lyme disease control
Multi-study synthesis
Feasibility
Utility
title A systematic review of the effectiveness and utility of Lyme disease prevention measures in Canada, the United States, and Europe
title_full A systematic review of the effectiveness and utility of Lyme disease prevention measures in Canada, the United States, and Europe
title_fullStr A systematic review of the effectiveness and utility of Lyme disease prevention measures in Canada, the United States, and Europe
title_full_unstemmed A systematic review of the effectiveness and utility of Lyme disease prevention measures in Canada, the United States, and Europe
title_short A systematic review of the effectiveness and utility of Lyme disease prevention measures in Canada, the United States, and Europe
title_sort systematic review of the effectiveness and utility of lyme disease prevention measures in canada the united states and europe
topic Systematic review
Tick control
Lyme disease control
Multi-study synthesis
Feasibility
Utility
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-025-11183-z
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