Review
Immunology
Muhammad Nadeem Abbas, Adela Chlastakova, Mohamed Amine Jmel, Evangelia Iliaki-Giannakoudaki, Jindrich Chmelar, Michail Kotsyfakis
Summary: Tick saliva contains serpins that play a crucial role in tick-host interactions by inhibiting host hemostasis processes and modulating host immune responses. Research suggests that tick serpins have the potential to be candidates for drug and vaccine development.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mohamed Amine Jmel, Hanne Voet, Ricardo N. Araujo, Lucas Tirloni, Anderson Sa-Nunes, Michail Kotsyfakis
Summary: Kunitz domain-containing proteins are serine protease inhibitors with therapeutic potential. They inhibit key proteases involved in inflammation or hemostasis through competitive inhibition. Tick saliva contains Kunitz-type inhibitors that play a role in host inhibition and blood feeding. Understanding their effects on host immunity and hemostasis may lead to novel therapies and vaccines.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Pavlina Bartikova, Iveta Stibraniova, Maria Kazimirova
Summary: There is increasing evidence that arthropod-borne pathogens exploit the saliva of their vectors to transmit diseases to vertebrate hosts. Extensive research has been conducted on the composition and function of tick saliva, with some molecules found to be associated with pathogen transmission. The study by Jones et al. in 1989 was one of the pioneering works that demonstrated the role of tick salivary glands in enhancing the transmission of tick-borne viruses.
Article
Entomology
Zbigniew Zajac, Aleksandra Sedzikowska, Weronika Maslanko, Aneta Wozniak, Joanna Kulisz
Summary: Ecological corridors are zones of natural vegetation that connect with other vegetation strips to provide migration routes for animals and plants. Research conducted in the Wieprz River ecological corridor in eastern Poland found that the habitats within this corridor are preferred by Dermacentor reticulatus ticks.
Article
Immunology
Jamil N. Kanji, Abraam Isaac, Daniel Gregson, Monika Mierzejewski, Danny Shpeley, Pauline Tomlin, Michael Groeschel, L. Robbin Lindsay, Lisa Lachance, Kinga Kowalewska-Grochowska
Summary: This study retrospectively analyzed tick species and quantity recovered from humans in Alberta over a 19-year period, and conducted molecular testing for pathogens associated with Ixodes scapularis and I. pacificus. Dermacentor ticks were the most common, followed by Ixodes and Amblyomma. The risk of tick-borne pathogen exposure, such as Lyme disease, in Alberta remains low.
EMERGING MICROBES & INFECTIONS
(2022)
Review
Immunology
Girish Neelakanta, Hameeda Sultana
Summary: Ticks are blood-sucking arthropods that have developed various strategies to obtain blood meals from vertebrate hosts. On one hand, they attach to the host, secrete molecules in their saliva, and feed while on the other hand, host defenses will try to counter-attack and stop tick feeding. Understanding the biology of tick blood feeding and molecular interactions at the tick-host interface is crucial for developing transmission-blocking vaccines against vector-borne pathogens.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Andrea Springer, Alexander Lindau, Julia Probst, Marco Drehmann, Katrin Fachet, Dorothea Thoma, H. Rose Vineer, Madeleine Noll, Gerhard Dobler, Ute Mackenstedt, Christina Strube
Summary: A citizen science study conducted in Germany provides an update on the distribution of Dermacentor ticks, particularly Dermacentor reticulatus. The study found that D. reticulatus has expanded its range throughout Germany, while D. marginatus remains limited to southwestern Germany. Most D. reticulatus ticks were found on dogs, while D. marginatus ticks were mainly discovered on hoofed animals and humans. Further research is needed to investigate the spread of Babesia canis and tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) by D. reticulatus in Germany.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Zbigniew Zajac, Joanna Kulisz, Aneta Wozniak, Katarzyna Bartosik, Angelique Foucault-Simonin, Sara Moutailler, Alejandro Cabezas-Cruz
Summary: This study investigated the presence of tick species in the Western Carpathians, Poland and examined the impact of environmental factors on tick occurrence and activity, the prevalence of vectored pathogens, and tick hosts as reservoir organisms. The results showed that only two species of ticks were found in the study area, with temperature significantly affecting tick activity and the number of Ixodes ricinus nymphs varying with altitude. The main hosts for ticks were rodents, and the ticks collected from vegetation were often infected with various pathogens.
Article
Entomology
Julia Gonzalez, Dina M. Fonseca, Alvaro Toledo
Summary: People frequently use parks and forested areas for outdoor activities. This study monitored the seasonal dynamics of ticks in forest/meadow and forest/path ecotones in Middlesex County, New Jersey. The most abundant tick species collected was Haemaphysalis longicornis, an invasive tick species. The presence of anthropophilic ticks suggests the need for specific control approaches, and the high numbers of H. longicornis collected highlight the importance of monitoring its expansion as a potential vector of diseases.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Anna Barbiero, Tommaso Manciulli, Michele Spinicci, Iacopo Vellere, Maria Grazia Colao, Gian Maria Rossolini, Alessandro Bartoloni, Didier Raoult, Lorenzo Zammarchi
Summary: This study reports ten cases of SENLAT in Tuscany, Italy, with symptoms including scalp eschar and cervical lymphadenopathy. The difficulty of microbiological diagnosis and previous antibiotic treatment administration hindered the identification of the causative agent.
Review
Immunology
Stepan S. Denisov, Ingrid Dijkgraaf
Summary: Ticks secrete immunomodulatory proteins into their saliva to bypass or suppress the host's immune system, with a diverse arsenal of closely related proteins using gene duplication. Studying these proteins can help understand tick-host relationships and provide potential candidates for drug development.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mohamed Amine Jmel, Hajer Aounallah, Chaima Bensaoud, Imen Mekki, Jindrich Chmelar, Fernanda Faria, Youmna M'ghirbi, Michalis Kotsyfakis
Summary: Protease inhibitors are regulatory proteins found in all kingdoms that play crucial roles in controlling proteases, with potential applications in human disease treatment and agriculture. PIs from tick salivary glands have unique pharmacological properties and are promising candidates for drug development, progressing to preclinical and clinical trials.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biology
Blazena Vargova, Natalia Pipova, Miroslav Banas, Igor Majlath, Piotr Tryjanowski, Lukasz Jankowiak, Viktoria Majlathova
Summary: Ticks are important vectors of pathogens and understanding their behavior is crucial for preventing disease transmission. This study described the behavior of D. reticulatus ticks using laboratory assays and identified several specific behavioral units and their frequencies.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Giovanni Sgroi, Roberta Iatta, Riccardo Paolo Lia, Nicola D'Alessio, Ranju Ravindran Santhakumari Manoj, Vincenzo Veneziano, Domenico Otranto
Summary: A study in southern Italy investigated the prevalence of zoonotic tick-borne pathogens in wild boars and their ticks, finding that wild boars are commonly infested by ticks, with some ticks carrying SFG Rickettsia species. The study emphasizes the importance of integrated management for wild boar population control and prevention of zoonotic pathogen transmission.
TRANSBOUNDARY AND EMERGING DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Zhilin Li, Sarah Mccomic, Rui Chen, William Tae Heung Kim, Alex Kiarie Gaithuma, Brian Mooney, Kevin R. Macaluso, Albert Mulenga, Daniel R. Swale
Summary: Understanding the regulation of tick feeding is crucial for preventing disease transmission. Activation of KATP channels inhibits fluid secretion and blood feeding in ticks, and the expression of KATP channel proteins varies throughout the feeding stages. KATP channels also control the secretion of pro-feeding proteins in tick saliva.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2023)
Review
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Meghan E. Hermance, Saravanan Thangamani
VECTOR-BORNE AND ZOONOTIC DISEASES
(2017)
Article
Virology
Jonna B. Westover, Johanna D. Rigas, Arnaud J. Van Wettere, Rong Li, Brady T. Hickerson, Kie-Hoon Jung, Jinxin Miao, Erin S. Reynolds, Bettina L. Conrad, Skot Nielson, Yousuke Furuta, Saravanan Thangamani, Zhongde Wang, Brian B. Gowen
Article
Infectious Diseases
Miguel A. Saldana, Kayvan Etebari, Charles E. Hart, Steven G. Widen, Thomas G. Wood, Saravanan Thangamani, Sassan Asgari, Grant L. Hughes
PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES
(2017)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Joan L. Kenney, Michael Anishchenko, Meghan Hermance, Hannah Romo, Ching-I Chen, Saravanan Thangamani, Aaron C. Brault
VECTOR-BORNE AND ZOONOTIC DISEASES
(2018)
Review
Virology
Meghan E. Hermance, Saravanan Thangamani
Letter
Infectious Diseases
Maria V. Murgia, Lesley Bell-Sakyi, Jose de la Fuente, Timothy J. Kurtti, Benjamin L. Makepeace, Ben Mans, Karen D. McCoy, Ulrike Munderloh, Olivier Plantard, Claude Rispe, Manuel Rodriguez Valle, Ala Tabor, Saravanan Thangamani, Jyothi Thimmapuram, Catherine A. Hill
TICKS AND TICK-BORNE DISEASES
(2019)
Article
Microbiology
K. Lane Warmbrod, Edward Patterson, Tiffany F. Kautz, Adam Stanton, Dedeke Rockx-Brouwer, Birte K. Kalveram, Kamil Khanipov, Saravanan Thangamani, Yuriy Fofanov, Naomi L. Forrester
Article
Entomology
Nicole L. Mendell, Erin S. Reynolds, Lucas S. Blanton, Meghan E. Hermance, Andres F. Londono, Charles E. Hart, Bethany R. Quade, Allen T. Esterly, C'Brionne B. Hendrix, Pete D. Teel, Donald H. Bouyer, Saravanan Thangamani
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Meghan E. Hermance, Steven G. Widen, Thomas G. Wood, Saravanan Thangamani
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2019)
Article
Immunology
Charles E. Hart, Jose M. Ribeiro, Maria Kazimirova, Saravanan Thangamani
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Meghan E. Hermance, Charles E. Hart, Allen T. Esterly, Erin S. Reynolds, Jahnavi R. Bhaskar, Saravanan Thangamani
PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES
(2020)
Article
Immunology
Charles Edward Hart, Saravanan Thangamani
Summary: Ticks play a crucial role in the transmission of arboviruses and are important components of the viral sylvatic cycle. Research on tick-viral interactions has primarily focused on tick-borne flaviviruses due to their high pathogenicity, while limited work has been done on responses to viral infections. Further studies are needed to fully understand the role of tick-virus interactions in sylvatic cycling and transmission of various tick-borne viruses.
PARASITE IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Microbiology
Erin M. Hassett, Saravanan Thangamani
Summary: Zoonotic viruses pose a threat to millions of people annually, with the Powassan virus being a rare tick-borne virus causing severe neurological damage and death, with increasing incidence in the eastern United States. The mechanisms of POWV maintenance and transmission to humans are complex and not fully understood, with various environmental and human-driven factors potentially aiding its spread.
Article
Virology
Charles E. Hart, Frank A. Middleton, Saravanan Thangamani
Summary: The study reveals that Ixodes scapularis ticks can harbor both Powassan virus and Borrelia burgdorferi, benefiting the replication and dissemination of Powassan virus.
Article
Biology
Seongjoon Kang, Obed W. Odom, Candice L. Malone, Saravanan Thangamani, David L. Herrin