Franz Rubel

University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna | vetmed · Department for Farm Animals and Veterinary Public Health

Usutu virus (USUV), a flavivirus of the Japanese encephalitis virus complex, was for the first time detected outside Africa in the region around Vienna (Austria) in 2001 by Weissenböck et al. [Weissenböck, H., Kolodziejek, J., Url, A., Lussy, H., Rebel-Bauder, B., Nowotny, N., 2002. Emergence of Usutu virus, an African mosquito-borne flavivirus of...

The most frequently used climate classification map is that of Wladimir Köppen, presented in its latest version 1961 by Rudolf Geiger. A huge number of climate studies and subsequent publications adopted this or a former release of the Köppen-Geiger map. While the climate classification concept has been widely applied to a broad range of topics in...

The goal of this paper is to present up-to-date maps depicting the geographical distribution of Dermacentor species in Europe based on georeferenced sampling sites. Therefore, a dataset was compiled, resulting in 1,286 D. marginatus (Sulzer, 1776) and 1,209 D. reticulatus (Fabricius, 1794) locations. Special emphasis is given to the region of the E...

Although the European Alps are one of the most investigated regions worldwide, maps depicting climate change by means of climate classification are still not-existent. To contribute to this topic, a time series of very high resolution (30 arc-seconds) maps of the well-known Köppen-Geiger climate classification is presented. The maps cover the great...

An updated and increased compilation of georeferenced tick locations in Germany is presented here. This data collection extends the dataset published some years ago by another 1448 new tick locations, 900 locations of which were digitized from literature and 548 locations are published here for the first time. This means that a total of 3492 georef...

The nidicolous tick Ixodes laguri is a nest-dwelling parasite of small mammals that mainly infest rodents of the families Cricetidae, Gliridae, Muridae and Sciuridae. There is no proven vectorial role for I. laguri, although it is suggested that it is a vector of Francisella tularensis. In this study, a first map depicting the entire geographical d...

The nidicolous tick Ixodes laguri is a nest-dwelling parasite of small mammals that mainly infest rodents of the families Cricetidae, Gliridae, Muridae and Sciuridae. There is no proven vectorial role for I. laguri, although it is suggested that it is a vector of Francisella tularensis. In this study, a first map depicting the entire geographical d...

Although European hamsters and European ground squirrels are listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, their habitats are becoming increasingly smaller due to the rapid expansion of the city of Vienna. The distribution of both species over the period 2000-2023 was documented by compiling a map based on georeference...

The Eurasian shrew and vole tick Ixodes trianguliceps Birula lives in the nests and burrows of its small mammalian hosts and is-along with larvae and nymphs of Ixodes ricinus or Ixodes persulcatus-one of the most commonly collected tick species from these hosts in its Eurasian range. Ixodes trianguliceps is a proven vector of Babesia microti. In th...

The first data update of the atlas of ticks in Germany published in 2021 is presented here. This atlas provides maps based on georeferenced tick locations of 21 species endemic in Germany as well as three tick species that are regularly imported to Germany. The data update includes the following numbers of newly georeferenced tick locations: 17 Arg...

Digital maps, particularly displayed on virtual globes, will represent the most important source of geographical knowledge in the future. The best known of these virtual globes is Google Earth, whose use in teaching at schools and universities is now common practice. As the first result of a series of forthcoming digital tick maps, the worldwide di...

A high-resolution city map showing the geographic distribution of 12 tick species (Acari: Argasidae, Ixodidae) that have been recorded from the metropolitan area of Berlin, Germany is presented. A total of 237 tick locations was mapped. These include ten ixodid tick species: Dermacentor reticulatus, Haemaphysalis concinna, Hyalomma rufipes, Ixodes...

A first compilation of georeferenced tick locations in Austria and South Tyrol, Italy, is presented here. This allows the tick fauna to be examined in the various climatic regions of the European Alps. The dataset comprises 424 tick locations of Austria and 48 tick locations of South Tyrol, which were digitized from literature and visualized in the...

This book is a collection of 77 expert opinions arranged in three sections. Section 1 on "Climate" sets the scene, including predictions of future climate change, how climate change affects ecosystems, and how to model projections of the spatial distribution of ticks and tick-borne infections under different climate change scenarios. Section 2 on "...

In spring 2019, forecasts of the incidence of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) for the next 2 years, i.e. 2019 and 2020, were made for the first time. For this purpose, negative binomial regression models with 4–5 predictors were fitted to the time series of annual human TBE incidences from Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. The most important predict...

The two ixodid tick species Dermacentor reticulatus (Fabricius) and Dermacentor silvarum Olenev occur at the northern distribution limit of the genus Dermacentor in Eurasia, within the belt of \(34{-}60^\circ ~ \hbox {N}\) latitude. Whilst the distribution area of D. reticulatus extends from the Atlantic coast of Portugal to Western Siberia, that o...

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is the most common viral tick-borne disease in Europe causing thousands of human infections every year. Available risk maps in Europe are solely based on human incidences, but often underestimate areas with TBE virus circulation as shown by several autochthonous cases detected outside known risk areas. A dataset of mor...

In spring 2019, forecasts of the incidence of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) for the next two years, i.e. 2019 and 2020, were made for the first time. For this purpose, negative binomial regression models with 4-5 predictors were fitted to the time series of annual human TBE incidences from Austria, Germany and Switzerland. The most important predic...

The first long-term monitoring to document both activity and density of questing ixodid ticks in Vienna, Austria, is introduced. It was started in 2017 and is planned to run over decades. Such long-term monitorings are needed to quantify possible effects of climate change or to develop tick density forecast models. The monthly questing tick density...

Background: Why human tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) cases differ from year to year, in some years more 100%, has not been clarified, yet. The cause of the increasing or decreasing trends is also controversial. Austria is the only country in Europe where a 40-year TBE time series and an official vaccine coverage time series are available to investi...

The forecast of human tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) incidence for the next years has been on the research agenda of epidemiologists since the discovery of this tick-borne zoonosis. Based on models to explain the trend as well as the low- and high-frequency oscillations in the Austrian TBE incidence series, TBE forecasts for Austria, Germany and Swi...

Background: Culicoides biting midges transmit viruses resulting in disease in ruminants and equids such as bluetongue, Schmallenberg disease and African horse sickness. In the past decades, these diseases have led to important economic losses for farmers in Europe. Vector abundance is a key factor in determining the risk of vector-borne disease sp...

Fallzahlen zur Frühsommer-Meningoenzephalitis (FSME) in Deutschland sind seit der deutschen Wiedervereinigung im Oktober 1990 für das gesamte Bundesgebiet verfügbar; digitale Daten des Robert Koch-Instituts allerdings erst für die Periode 2001 bis aktuell, weshalb sie im vorliegenden Kapitel um Daten aus der wissenschaftlichen Literatur ergänzt wur...

Erklärende Modelle haben zum Ziel, das vorhandene Wissen zu einem Prozess zu strukturieren und mit mathematischen Gleichungen, ausgehend von einem Anfangszustand, eine Prognose zu erstellen. In der Epidemiologie werden sie als SIR-Modelle bezeichnet. Sie bilanzieren die Dynamik der Gesundheitszustände Suszeptibel, In-fiziert und Regeneriert (Genese...

AbstractBackground:Biting midges of the genusCulicoides(Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are small hematophagous insectsresponsible for the transmission of bluetongue virus, Schmallenberg virus and African horse sickness virus to wild anddomestic ruminants and equids. Outbreaks of these viruses have caused economic damage within the EuropeanUnion. The spa...

The Usutu virus (USUV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus closely related to the better known West Nile virus, and it can cause mass mortalities of song birds. In the present paper, a dataset of georeferenced locations of USUV-positive birds was compiled and then used to map the geographical distribution of suitable USUV habitats in Central Europe. Six...

The castor bean tick, Ixodes ricinus (L.) (Ixodida: Ixodidae), is the principal vector of pathogens causing tick-borne encephalitis or Lyme borreliosis in Europe. It is therefore of general interest to make an estimate of the density of I. ricinus for the whole year at the beginning of the tick season. There are two necessary conditions for making...

The ixodid tick Haemaphysalis concinna Koch, 1844 is a proven vector of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus and Francisella tularensis, the causative agent of tularaemia. In the present study, up-to-date maps depicting the geographical distribution and climate adaptation of H. concinna are presented. A dataset was compiled, resulting in 656 georefe...

Information on mosquito-borne filarioid helminths in Austria is scarce, but recent discoveries of Dirofilaria repens indicate autochthonous distribution of this parasite in Eastern Austria. In the current xenomonitoring study, more than 48,000 mosquitoes were collected in Eastern Austria between 2013 and 2015, using different sampling techniques an...

Background: Biting midges of the genus Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are vectors of bluetongue virus (BTV), African horse sickness virus and Schmallenberg virus (SBV). Outbreaks of both BTV and SBV have affected large parts of Europe. The spread of these diseases depends largely on vector distribution and abundance. The aim of this analysi...

Ixodes (Ixodes) apronophorus is a neglected tick species and its geographical distribution, host associations, and role as a disease vector are not well known. We collected I. apronophorus from several locations in Romania. Morphological identification of ticks was confirmed by analysis of 16S rDNA and 12S rDNA gene sequences. We report new host as...

Ticks of the species Ixodes ricinus (L.) are the major vectors for tick-borne diseases in Europe. The aim of this study was to quantify the influence of environmental variables on the seasonal cycle of questing I. ricinus. Therefore, an 8-year time series of nymphal I. ricinus flagged at monthly intervals in Haselmühl (Germany) was compiled. For th...

Climate map on the virtual globe

Climate map on the virtual globe

Climate map on virtual globe

Climate map on virtual globe

Climate map on virtual globe

Background Insect vectors, namely mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae), are compulsory for malaria parasites (Plasmodium spp.) to complete their life cycle. Despite this, little is known about vector competence of different mosquito species for the transmission of avian malaria parasites. Methods In this study, nested PCR was used to determine Plasmodi...

Babesia spp., Theileria spp., and Hepatozoon spp. are tick-transmitted apicomplexan parasites that cause several important diseases in animals. To increase current knowledge about the diversity of tick-transmitted pathogens in Romania, we investigated the occurrence of Babesia spp., Theileria spp., and Hepatozoon spp. in a wide range of tick specie...

Biting midges (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae) of the genus Culicoides are important vectors of pathogens causing diseases in free living and production animals and can lead to large economic losses in many European countries. In Europe, Culicoides imicola and the Obsoletus group are considered to be the main vectors of bluetongue virus that mostly affec...

Individual-based or population-level simulation approaches are often employed alternatively in eco-epidemiological modeling. In this paper, we introduce an original coupling approach applied to bubonic plague zoonotic infection in the Pre-Balkhash focus (central Asia), with main host Rhombomys opimus (Rodentia: Gerbillidae) and vector its associate...

The castor bean tick Ixodes ricinus (L.) is the principal vector for a variety of viral, bacterial, and protozoan pathogens causing a growing public-health issue over the past decades. However, a national density map of I. ricinus is still missing. Here, I. ricinus nymphs in Germany were investigated by compiling a high-resolution map depicting the...

The 18th meeting of the International Scientific Working Group on Tick-Borne Encephalitis (ISW-TBE)−agroup of neurologists, general practitioners, clinicians, travel physicians, virologists, pediatricians and epidemiologists−was held under the title ’Tick-borne encephalitis—still on the map’. The conference agenda was divided into six sessions: ‘Na...

Background: Within the last few decades Culicoides spp. (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) emerged Europe-wide as a major vector for epizootic viral diseases e.g. caused by Bluetongue (BT) or Schmallenberg virus. In accordance with the EU regulation 1266/2007, veterinary authorities are requested to determine vector-free periods for loosing trade and move...

The ixodid tick Dermacentor marginatus (Sulzer, 1776) is endemic throughout southern Europe in the range of 33-51 (°) N latitude. In Germany, however, D. marginatus was exclusively reported in the Rhine valley and adjacent areas. Its northern distribution limit near Giessen is located at the coordinates 8.32 (°) E/50.65 (°) N. Particularly with reg...

This is the first comprehensive epidemiological analysis of rabies in Costa Rica. We characterized the occurrence of the disease and demonstrated its endemic nature in this country. In Costa Rica, as in other countries in Latin America, hematophagous vampire bats are the primary wildlife vectors transmitting the rabies virus to cattle herds. Betwee...

The study describes the estimation of the spatial distribution of questing nymphal tick densities by investigating Ixodes ricinus in Southwest Germany as an example. The production of high-resolution maps of questing tick densities is an important key to quantify the risk of tick-borne diseases. Previous I. ricinus maps were based on quantitative a...

This study was designed to evaluate the costs between 2005 and 2013 of the national bluetongue virus (BTV) surveillance and vaccination programmes before, during and after the BTV serotype 8 (BTV-8) outbreak in Austria commencing in 2008. In addition to an assessment of the temporal development of costs, a spatial cost analysis was performed. Withi...

This study was designed to evaluate the costs between 2005 and 2013 of the national bluetongue virus (BTV) surveillance and vaccination programmes before, during and after the BTV serotype 8 (BTV-8) outbreak in Austria commencing in 2008. In addition to an assessment of the temporal development of costs, a spatial cost analysis was performed. Withi...

With the bluetongue virus serotype 8 (BTV-8) outbreak in 2006, vector monitoring programmes (according to EU regulation 1266/2007) were implemented by European countries to obtain information on the spatial distribution of vectors and the vector-free period. This study investigates the vector monitoring programmes in Austria and Switzerland by perf...

Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) are important vectors for a wide range of pathogenic organisms. As large parts of the human population in developed countries live in cities, the occurrence of vector-borne diseases in urban areas is of particular interest for epidemiologists and public health authorities. In this study, we investigated the mosquito...

Background Georeferenced locations of ixodid ticks are required to depict the observed distribution of species. Further, they are used as input data for species distribution models also known as niche models. The latter were applied to describe current and future (projected) tick distributions. Beside model assumptions and selected climate paramete...

Economic analyses for prevention and control of animal diseases are rare. A general approach for measuring the effects of animal diseases is still missing but needed. To address this gap, an overview of existing methods for the evaluation of animal diseases and the determination of their strengths and weaknesses is presented.

Biting midges of the genus Culicoides spp. (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are vectors for the Bluetongue virus, the African horse sickness virus and the recently emerged Schmallenberg virus. Here, species of the C. obsoletus complex, the C. pulicaris complex and C. imicola were considered. The objective was to compile a map of these Culicoides species...

Background Culex pipiens/restuans mosquitoes are important vectors for a variety of arthropod borne viral infections. In this study, the associations between 20 years of mosquito capture data and the time lagged environmental quantities daytime length, temperature, precipitation, relative humidity and wind speed were used to generate a predictive m...

Bluetongue is an arboviral disease of ruminants causing significant economic losses. Our risk assessment is based on the epidemiological key parameter, the basic reproduction number. It is defined as the number of secondary cases caused by one primary case in a fully susceptible host population, in which values greater than one indicate the possibi...

Daily maps of potential Bluetongue outbreak risk simulated for May to October 2010 (left) and 2011 (right). (MOV)

Sensitivity study for the extrinsic incubation period and C. obsoletus models. (PDF)

Daily maps of C. obsoletus densities simulated for May to November 2010 (left) and 2011 (right). (MOV)

Anopheles (Anopheles) hyrcanus was detected for the first time in Austria, in a floodplain forest in the city of Vienna. From May to September 2012, we found 135 females of this species within the scope of a mosquito monitoring program. Anopheles hyrcanus transmits Sindbis and Tahyna viruses and was reported to be a potential vector for human malar...