Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Anna E. Jacob, Jeffrey Scott Weese, Joyce Rosseau, Katie M. Clow
Summary: Increasing temperatures due to climate change have led to the expansion of Ixodes scapularis ticks in Canada, which carry pathogens that are significant for public and animal health. A study on ticks of companion animals found that B. burgdorferi had a higher prevalence in certain regions of Canada, while B. miyamotoi and A. phagocytophilum had lower prevalence rates.
ZOONOSES AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Labrini V. Athanasiou, Eleni G. Katsogiannou, Panagiota Tyrnenopoulou, Dimitrios Gougoulis, Kosmas N. Apostolidis, Stavros M. Papadakis, Kassiopi Christina G. Kokkinaki, Vasileios G. Papatsiros, Constantina N. Tsokana
Summary: This study examined the exposure of horses in Greece to various pathogens and evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of saliva compared to serum. The findings suggest that saliva sampling coupled with IFAT could be successfully used for detecting antibodies against important zoonotic pathogens in horses.
Article
Entomology
Anna Panczuk, Malgorzata Tokarska-Rodak, Patrycja Teodorowicz, Ewa Pawlowicz-Sosnowska
Summary: This study assessed the prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and Anaplasma phagocytophilum infections in Dermacentor reticulatus ticks feeding on dogs in eastern Poland. The results showed that 9.2% of the ticks were infected with one of the pathogens, with no co-infections detected.
EXPERIMENTAL AND APPLIED ACAROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Labrini V. Athanasiou, Constantina N. Tsokana, Dimitris A. Gougoulis, Athanasia H. Tzivara, Anna Dedousi, Panagiotis D. Katsoulos
Summary: The occurrence of co-infected hosts and questing ticks with multiple tick-borne pathogens is expected in endemic regions. Limited data exist on the clinicopathological alterations in co-infected sheep. This study investigated the impact of A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi s.l. seropositivity, alone and in combination, on the hematological parameters of naturally infected sheep. Co-exposure to A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi s.l. resulted in the most severe blood abnormalities and enhanced the pathogenic processes. More studies are needed to clarify the possible background mechanisms.
Article
Parasitology
Nannet D. Fabri, Hein Sprong, Tim R. Hofmeester, Hans Heesterbeek, Bjorn F. Donnars, Fredrik Widemo, Frauke Ecke, Joris P. G. M. Cromsigt
Summary: The study found that different ungulate species play different roles in the transmission of ticks and pathogens. Fallow deer, red deer, and roe deer play more important roles in the transmission of Anaplasma phagocytophilum, while wild boar play a relatively minor role in the transmission of Borrelia burgdorferi (s.l.).
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2021)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Lauriane Duplaix, Victoria Wagner, Salima Gasmi, L. Robbin Lindsay, Antonia Dibernardo, Karine Thivierge, Christopher Fernandez-Prada, Julie Arsenault
Summary: A study conducted in Quebec from 2010 to 2017 revealed that cats and dogs are at risk of exposure to blacklegged ticks infected with Borrelia burgdorferi and Anaplasma phagocytophilum. The majority of ticks collected were adult females and partially engorged, with a higher prevalence of infections with B. burgdorferi and A. phagocytophilum.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Microbiology
Igor Dumic, Dorde Jevtic, Mladjen Veselinovic, Charles W. Nordstrom, Milan Jovanovic, Vanajakshi Mogulla, Elmira Mofid Veselinovic, Ann Hudson, Gordana Simeunovic, Emilia Petcu, Poornima Ramanan
Summary: This study analyzed case reports and case series of Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection, finding that infected patients commonly present with fever, constitutional symptoms, and gastrointestinal symptoms, with laboratory abnormalities commonly seen in coagulation and liver function. Treatment mainly involved the use of doxycycline, but delayed therapy may impact patient outcomes.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Parna Ghosh, Meriam N. Saleh, Kellee D. Sundstrom, Michelle Ientile, Susan E. Little
Summary: This study revealed that in the eastern and midwestern United States, the American clade of Ixodes scapularis is the most common tick species, while in the southeastern region, the Southern clade is more prevalent. In the western region, Ixodes pacificus is the predominant species. Pathogen detection showed a higher positivity rate for Borrelia spp. and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in ticks from the Southeast, while no pathogens were detected in ticks from the West. Further research is needed to investigate the role of less common Ixodes spp. as disease vectors.
VECTOR-BORNE AND ZOONOTIC DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Erik Foster, James Burtis, Jennifer L. Sidge, Jean Tsao, Jenna Bjork, Gongping Liu, David F. Neitzel, Xia Lee, Susan Paskewitz, Diane Caporale, Rebecca J. Eisen
Summary: The geographic range of the blacklegged tick and its associated human pathogens has expanded, increasing the risk for tick-borne diseases. Understanding the time and location of potential exposure to infected ticks is crucial for prevention and diagnosis. Monitoring infection prevalence in ticks aids in assessing risk, but setting a fixed threshold is not feasible due to variability. Reducing repeated sampling does not significantly impact estimates of average infection prevalence.
TICKS AND TICK-BORNE DISEASES
(2022)
Review
Microbiology
Pierre H. Boyer, Cedric Lenormand, Benoit Jaulhac, Emilie Talagrand-Reboul
Summary: Co-infections in tick-borne diseases are common, involving both ticks carrying multiple pathogenic microorganisms and humans being simultaneously infected with multiple tick-borne microorganisms. A systematic review found possible co-infections between Lyme borreliosis and other tick-borne microorganisms. Most cases of co-infections were characterized by patients having one tick-borne disease and antibodies against another tick-borne microorganism. Co-disease was particularly frequent in patients with high fever and erythema migrans or neurological symptoms linked to tick-borne encephalitis virus or neuroborreliosis.
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Megan Neely, Luis G. Arroyo, Claire Jardine, Alison Moore, Murray Hazlett, Katie Clow, Holly Archer, J. Scott Weese
Summary: The study conducted a cross-sectional investigation of 551 horses in southern, central, and eastern Ontario, Canada to evaluate the seroprevalence of B. burgdorferi and associated risk factors. The results showed a seroprevalence of 17% with a spatial cluster of cases detected in Eastern Ontario. Oak trees by pastures and regular tick checks were found to be significant risk factors for seropositivity.
EQUINE VETERINARY JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Justyna Dunaj, Adam Trzeszczkowski, Anna Moniuszko-Malinowska, Krzysztof Rutkowski, Slawomir Pancewicz
Summary: The study revealed that Dermacentor reticulatus ticks in northeastern Poland carry multiple tick-borne pathogens, with Babesia canis being the most prevalent among them.
ADVANCES IN MEDICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Marek Asman, Joanna Witecka, Jan Korbecki, Krzysztof Solarz
Summary: Ixodes ricinus is the main vector in Europe for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Babesia microti. A study conducted in Wolinski National Park showed a high potential human risk of exposure to tick-borne infection with Babesia microti, and low risks of infection with Borrelia garinii and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in the area.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Lindsay C. Sidak-Loftis, Kristin L. Rosche, Natasha Pence, Jessica K. Ujczo, Joanna Hurtado, Elis A. Fisk, Alan G. Goodman, Susan M. Noh, John W. Peters, Dana K. Shaw
Summary: The study discovers a novel linkage between the unfolded-protein response (UPR) and the immune deficiency (IMD) pathway in arthropods, explaining how the IMD pathway can be activated in ticks and restrict the transmission of pathogens.
Article
Cell Biology
Andaleeb Sajid, Jaqueline Matias, Gunjan Arora, Cheyne Kurokawa, Kathleen DePonte, Xiaotian Tang, Geoffrey Lynn, Ming-Jie Wu, Utpal Pal, Norma Olivares Strank, Norbert Pardi, Sukanya Narasimhan, Drew Weissman, Erol Fikrig
Summary: The study showed that vaccination with 19ISP mRNA can enhance host recognition of tick bites, reduce tick engorgement, and prevent B. burgdorferi infection. Immunization with 19ISP also hindered the transmission of the pathogen in vaccinated guinea pigs.
SCIENCE TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2021)