Destruction of the tick microhabitat, principally as a by-product of improvement of agricultural land, has also been widely carried out. Area control with acaricides on such a scale is expensive, impractical and environmentally damaging. No similar studies seem to have been carried out in Europe in relation to LB control. However, gardens, parks and campsites, which may harbour borrelia-infected ticks, are more amenable to these approaches. The tick maintenance hosts and spirochaete reservoir hosts in LB foci are usually wild animals and targeting ticks on these animals clearly presents very different problems compared with controlling ticks on livestock.
Success depends largely on the development of self-medication systems.
Several studies have been conducted in North America and although effects have been demonstrated, there is a widespread view that such measures would not be sufficiently practical for large-scale use. Most of the methods considered so far would probably be even more difficult to implement in Europe, where the roe deer, Capreolus capreolus , the commonest species, is solitary and secretive. However, effective methods of controlling ticks on wildlife could have an important impact in peri-domestic situations and in parks and continued efforts should be made to develop appropriate technologies. European Union Concerted Action on Lyme Borreliosis. All rights reserved.