Mammal and bird species distribution at the woodland-pasture interface in relation to the circulation of ticks and pathogens.

The tick vector Ixodes ricinus can be found in pastures in landscapes where pasture and woodland intermix, such as in the bocage. To identify which mammal or bird species could potentially transport ticks between woodland and pasture, we did a species inventory on four French bocage sites in 2005. Fifty-eight species were observed, 21 of which were found in three different habitats: the middle of the pasture, the hedgerow ecotone, and the woodland. Because the bocage is a meeting point for wildlife, domestic animals, and humans, species using the three habitats could potentially be epidemiologic agents for circulation of tick vectors as well as of pathogens. Thus, the bocage could be used as a model landscape for the study of epidemiologic cycles and potential emergence of multiple-host pathogens.