SWEtick Ped - a prospective multicenter study on tick borne diseases in children and adolescents in Sweden

Ticks are on the rise! Climate change is enabling the European tick Ixodes ricinus to spread into larger geographic areas, increasing the risk for the population to contract tick‑borne infections (so‑called “emerging tick‑borne diseases”).

The overall aim of the study is to increase knowledge about the epidemiology and clinical course of human tick‑borne diseases in children and adolescents, and to disseminate this knowledge within the healthcare system. The study also aims to develop, validate, and make available integrated diagnostic methods for clinical use.

The overarching research questions are:

1. Which of the lesser-known tick‑borne infections (“emerging tick‑borne diseases”) occur in Swedish children and adolescents who present to pediatric clinics with symptoms, medical history, and laboratory findings that raise suspicion of a tick‑borne infection?
2. What symptoms do children and adolescents with laboratory‑confirmed tick‑borne infection exhibit at inclusion, and how do they feel (reported symptoms and assessed health‑related quality of life) at 1, 3, and 6 months of follow‑up?

A total of 500 children and adolescents with suspected tick‑borne infection are planned to be included during 2025–2030. Clinical data and quality of life will be monitored over a 6‑month period. Blood samples and, when applicable, synovial fluid or cerebrospinal fluid will be analyzed for microbiological diagnostics.