Consultations in general practice related to a tick bite episode in mainland France in 2023-2024

Consultations in general practice related to a tick bite episode in mainland France in 2023-2024 | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Consultations in general practice related to a tick bite episode in mainland France in 2023-2024 Camille Bonnet, Titouan Launay, Camille Coustaury, Alexandra Septfons, and 13 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8924476/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 29 Apr, 2026 Read the published version in BMC Public Health → Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background Exposure to tick bites in mainland France is mainly documented through local studies or citizen science projects. According to the 2024 French national survey, about 15% bitten individuals consult a healthcare professional. National-level data from general practice are needed to better describe tick bite epidemiology. Main objective: To estimate the incidence of patients consulting general practitioners (GPs) for a tick bite and to describe their characteristics, their management and the context of the bite. Method We conducted a study using the French Sentinelles network, a national surveillance system that collects data from a sample of GPs. From May 2023 to April 2024, an indicator 'Consultations with a tick bite’ was added to the routine data collection, in addition to the ongoing Lyme borreliosis surveillance. National and regional incidences were estimated using a hierarchical Bayesian model incorporating spatial and temporal dependencies to account for data sparsity. A tick collection was also carried out. Results A total of 179 GPs participated and reported 483 consultations for a tick bite episode. The estimated national incidence was 324 cases per 100,000 population (95% CI [290; 369]) over the study period, peaking in May-June 2023. Incidence was highest in the southwestern and northeastern France. Children represented one quarter of cases and nearly half of patients consulted without clinical symptoms. Conclusion These findings provide new insights into the epidemiology of tick bites in France and contribute to assessing population exposure to ticks, informing future prevention and public health strategies. Tick Bites Tick-Borne Diseases General Practice France Incidence Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files Supplementaryfiles.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 29 Apr, 2026 Read the published version in BMC Public Health → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 24 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 24 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 11 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 09 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 06 Mar, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 06 Mar, 2026 Editor invited by journal 03 Mar, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 03 Mar, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 02 Mar, 2026 First submitted to journal 02 Mar, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8924476","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":604678334,"identity":"0699592f-1366-4ff6-9ba3-f2c114f32219","order_by":0,"name":"Camille Bonnet","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"","institution":"Sorbonne Université, INSERM, Institut Pierre Louis d’Épidémiologie et de Santé Publique, IPLESP","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Camille","middleName":"","lastName":"Bonnet","suffix":""},{"id":604678336,"identity":"71ebc726-9d9f-447a-a98b-6a3c97040f61","order_by":1,"name":"Titouan Launay","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Sorbonne Université, INSERM, Institut Pierre Louis d’Épidémiologie et de Santé Publique, IPLESP","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Titouan","middleName":"","lastName":"Launay","suffix":""},{"id":604678337,"identity":"8e630200-4382-4573-887a-a265295bb3a7","order_by":2,"name":"Camille Coustaury","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Sorbonne Université, INSERM, Institut Pierre Louis d’Épidémiologie et de Santé Publique, IPLESP","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Camille","middleName":"","lastName":"Coustaury","suffix":""},{"id":604678338,"identity":"d5a0dbe8-995a-4417-90a6-c30a914649d6","order_by":3,"name":"Alexandra Septfons","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Santé publique France","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Alexandra","middleName":"","lastName":"Septfons","suffix":""},{"id":604678341,"identity":"086f5df0-4381-4943-ae2c-c9a39504b060","order_by":4,"name":"Jonas Durand","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Université Lorraine - 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According to the 2024 French national survey, about 15% bitten individuals consult a healthcare professional. National-level data from general practice are needed to better describe tick bite epidemiology.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMain objective:\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo estimate the incidence of patients consulting general practitioners (GPs) for a tick bite and to describe their characteristics, their management and the context of the bite.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethod\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eWe conducted a study using the French Sentinelles network, a national surveillance system that collects data from a sample of GPs. From May 2023 to April 2024, an indicator \u003cem\u003e'Consultations with a tick bite\u0026rsquo;\u003c/em\u003e was added to the routine data collection, in addition to the ongoing Lyme borreliosis surveillance. National and regional incidences were estimated using a hierarchical Bayesian model incorporating spatial and temporal dependencies to account for data sparsity. A tick collection was also carried out.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResults\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eA total of 179 GPs participated and reported 483 consultations for a tick bite episode. The estimated national incidence was 324 cases per 100,000 population (95% CI [290; 369]) over the study period, peaking in May-June 2023. Incidence was highest in the southwestern and northeastern France. Children represented one quarter of cases and nearly half of patients consulted without clinical symptoms.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusion\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThese findings provide new insights into the epidemiology of tick bites in France and contribute to assessing population exposure to ticks, informing future prevention and public health strategies.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Consultations in general practice related to a tick bite episode in mainland France in 2023-2024","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-03-13 07:33:31","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8924476/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2026-03-24T12:25:03+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-03-24T09:44:13+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-03-11T21:01:49+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"178488362952127114719023444895945083923","date":"2026-03-09T05:14:30+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"309334481194005344848539013541350660678","date":"2026-03-06T13:38:46+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-03-06T13:16:50+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2026-03-03T10:55:59+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-03-03T10:53:03+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2026-03-02T14:55:01+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"BMC Public Health","date":"2026-03-02T09:14:55+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bmc-public-health","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"pubh","sideBox":"Learn more about [BMC Public Health](http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/pubh/default.aspx","title":"BMC Public Health","twitterHandle":"@BMC_series","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"0a06f288-bd56-44cc-b1b1-1e9a98d90a8b","owner":[],"postedDate":"March 13th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-05-04T16:10:30+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-8924476","link":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-026-27498-8","journal":{"identity":"bmc-public-health","isVorOnly":false,"title":"BMC Public Health"},"publishedOn":"2026-04-29 15:57:19","publishedOnDateReadable":"April 29th, 2026"},"versionCreatedAt":"2026-03-13 07:33:31","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1186/s12889-026-27498-8","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-026-27498-8","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8924476","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8924476","identity":"rs-8924476","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}