WHAT THE EVIDENCE SAYS
Sera from 201 red deer harvested in two seasons in 2017–2019 were tested for antibodies to the Ixodes-associated endosymbiont Midichloria mitochondrii. Calves had lower response rates than older deer, and samples differed among park areas, consistent with spatially heterogeneous prior tick contact.
WHY IT MATTERS / OUR READ
Wildlife serology can prioritize where to deploy direct tick counts and pathogen testing when landscape-scale surveillance is sparse.
CAVEATS / UNCERTAINTY
Antibodies cannot identify where or when every contact happened, establish present-day tick density or prove infection with a human pathogen. This is an accepted peer-reviewed article awaiting final formatting.
SOURCE
Parasitology Research — Cafiso et al., accepted 28 October 2026
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