Ticks and Tick-Borne Zoonotic Pathogens from Wild Birds in Northwestern Coastal Spain

Abstract

Simple Summary: Ticks are parasites that, by feeding on blood, can transmit diseases to people and animals, being a cause for concern for health authorities. Their ability to move is limited, but not that of animals they parasitize, especially migratory birds that travel great distances every year. For this reason, it is important to know the percentage of birds that are parasitized by ticks in different countries that are on their migratory routes, the observed species of birds and ticks and whether they carry disease-causing organisms. That has been the objective of our study, which has taken advantage of the regular work of bird ringers over 2 years in both estuaries and forested areas. The results obtained from the examination of almost 1700 birds show a low percentage (2.5%) of birds parasitized by ticks and only one disease-causing organism in a bird’s tick. Despite this, the information is relevant showing that the percentage of birds with ticks is higher in forest areas than in estuaries. This study also allows us to complete the information obtained in previous studies carried out in domestic and wild animals in a region that accounts for most of the Lyme disease hospitalizations in Spain.