Review
Microbiology
Jose de la Fuente, Agustin Estrada-Pena, Marta Rafael, Consuelo Almazan, Sergio Bermudez, Abdelbaset E. Abdelbaset, Paul D. Kasaija, Fredrick Kabi, Foluke Adedayo Akande, Dorcas Oluwakemi Ajagbe, Timothy Bamgbose, Srikant Ghosh, Azhahianambi Palavesam, Penny H. Hamid, Charlotte L. Oskam, Siobhon L. Egan, Amanda Duarte-Barbosa, Olcay Hekimoglu, Matias P. J. Szabo, Marcelo B. Labruna, Ananta Dahal
Summary: In this comprehensive review study, the challenge posed by ticks and tick-borne diseases (TBDs) with growing incidence affecting global human and animal health was addressed. Data and perspectives from different countries and regions were collected to update the current situation with ticks and TBDs and highlight the existing information bias and gaps perceived by society. The study emphasizes the importance of multidisciplinary and international collaborations in advancing surveillance, communication, and proposed future directions to address these challenges.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Nicholas Johnson, Lawrence Paul Phipps, Kayleigh M. Hansford, Arran J. Folly, Anthony R. Fooks, Jolyon M. Medlock, Karen L. Mansfield
Summary: Tick-borne diseases pose a threat to human and animal health, and their occurrence and transmission depend on tick population distribution, presence of pathogens, and tick activity seasons. Comprehensive understanding of these diseases is crucial for effective prevention and control, requiring surveillance and intervention approaches from multiple perspectives.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Review
Entomology
Karen C. Poh, Jesse R. Evans, Michael J. Skvarla, Erika T. Machtinger
Summary: Many vector-borne diseases are zoonotic, requiring a One Health approach to investigate and control them. Surveillance of arthropod vectors and pathogens among animal populations can be supplemented with citizen science approaches for data collection.
Article
Microbiology
Eric L. Siegel, Nathalie Lavoie, Guang Xu, Catherine M. Brown, Michel Ledizet, Stephen M. Rich
Summary: Tick-borne zoonoses have a significant impact on global public health, and understanding their distribution and determinants requires consideration of the complex interactions among the environment, vectors, and hosts. This study analyzed human cases and tick testing data to assess the correlation between tick submissions and the incidence of babesiosis and anaplasmosis. The results showed moderate-to-strong correlations, suggesting that tick testing data can serve as a proxy for disease incidence and help understand human-tick interactions.
Article
Parasitology
Juergen Kruecken, Gabor A. Czirjak, Sabrina Ramunke, Maria Serocki, Sonja K. Heinrich, Joerg Melzheimer, M. Carolina Costa, Heribert Hofer, Ortwin H. K. Aschenborn, Nancy A. Barker, Stefano Capodanno, Luis Madeira de Carvalho, Georg von Samson-Himmelstjerna, Marion L. East, Bettina Wachter
Summary: A study on brown and spotted hyenas in Namibia and Tanzania revealed high frequencies of various pathogens, with frequent co-infections observed in the samples. Ecological conditions were found to have a greater impact on pathogen diversity and frequency than host taxonomy.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Giovanni Sgroi, Roberta Iatta, Riccardo Paolo Lia, Ettore Napoli, Francesco Buono, Marcos Antonio Bezerra-Santos, Vincenzo Veneziano, Domenico Otranto
Summary: Citizen science can involve community members and individuals in research, aside from professional scientists. By collecting samples from hunters and their dogs in southern Italy, this study found a high prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in ticks, indicating a significant risk of exposure for hunters and their hunting dogs during hunting activities.
TRANSBOUNDARY AND EMERGING DISEASES
(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
Infectious Diseases
Pallavi A. Kache, Gebbiena M. Bron, Sandra Zapata-Ramirez, Jean I. Tsao, Lyric C. Bartholomay, Susan M. Paskewitz, Maria A. Diuk-Wasser, Maria del Pilar Fernandez
Summary: A smartphone application called The Tick App was used to assess tick exposures in the United States. The app received 11,424 tick encounter submissions, mostly from the Midwest and Northeast regions. The app provided reliable and novel insights into tick travel history, species distribution, and tick identification.
TICKS AND TICK-BORNE DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Alexander Blazhev, Iskren Stanilov, Lyuba Dineva Miteva, Milena Atanasova, Svetla Blazheva, Spaska Stanilova
Summary: This study investigated the presence and distribution of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) in Ixodes ricinus ticks from Kaylaka Park in Bulgaria. The results showed a high prevalence of Lyme disease spirochetes in these ticks. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in B. burgdorferi infection incidence among female, male, and nymph ticks.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Lynn M. Osikowicz, Andrias Hojgaard, Sarah Maes, Rebecca J. Eisen, Mark D. Stenglein
Summary: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have developed a bioinformatics pipeline, called MPAS, that can enhance the detection of human pathogens in ticks. This pipeline is portable and reproducible, with the ability to modify input parameters, assay primer, and reference sequences. It automates the analysis process, reducing the time needed for downstream analysis. The validation of the MPAS pipeline showed comparable results to previous analyses and improved sequencing resolution for co-infected samples.
TICKS AND TICK-BORNE DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Pierre H. Boyer, Lisa Baldinger, Brigitte Degeilh, Xavier Wirth, Chasy Mewa Kamdem, Yves Hansmann, Laurence Zilliox, Nathalie Boulanger, Benoit Jaulhac
Summary: The study revealed a higher prevalence of N. mikurensis in Alsace, France, compared to Brittany. Clinical cases of patients with N. mikurensis infection showed febrile syndromes and potential thrombotic events.
EMERGING MICROBES & INFECTIONS
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Anna-Katharina Topp, Andrea Springer, Gerhard Dobler, Malena Bestehorn-Willmann, Masyar Monazahian, Christina Strube
Summary: A study in Lower Saxony, Germany, investigated the occurrence of TBEV in questing ticks and found a previously unknown transmission focus, while confirming ongoing virus circulation at four other locations. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the circulation of two different virus strains with different origins in identified natural foci.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Andreas Eleftheriou, Samantha Swisher, Andreia Arruda, Amanda Berrian, Risa Pesapane
Summary: Globally, ticks are increasing as agricultural pests and carriers of tick-borne diseases (TBDs), posing a threat to both animals and humans. Veterinary professionals, being exposed to ticks through their work, need to be knowledgeable and take appropriate preventive actions. A survey of veterinary professionals in Ohio revealed that while they had cautious attitudes and practiced prevention, their knowledge of tick biology and local TBD epidemiology was lacking.
Editorial Material
Entomology
Lars Eisen, Rebecca J. Eisen
Summary: Tick-borne diseases are on the rise in North America, leading to an increased interest in understanding local tick species and associated pathogens. Citizen science is seen as a potential way to supplement traditional data gathering methods, but caution is needed when interpreting the generated information to avoid misleading conclusions.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Parasitology
Tal Azagi, Margriet Harms, Arno Swart, Manoj Fonville, Dieuwertje Hoornstra, Lapo Mughini-Gras, Joppe W. Hovius, Hein Sprong, Cees van den Wijngaard
Summary: The study found associations between the presence of tick-borne pathogens in ticks feeding on humans and self-reported symptoms. However, due to the subjective nature of such reports and the fact that infection was determined in the ticks and not in the patient samples, further prospective studies utilizing diagnostic modalities should be performed before any clinical outcome can be causally linked to infection with tick-borne pathogens.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2022)
Review
Entomology
Matthew L. Aardema, Sarah K. Olatunji, Dina M. Fonseca
Summary: Our understanding of how natural selection and demographic processes produce and maintain biological diversity remains limited. However, new developments in high-throughput genomic sequencing offer opportunities for detailed analyses, such as in the mosquitoes of the Culex pipiens complex, which provide a unique system for studying speciation mechanisms and the impact of admixture on taxonomy.
ANNALS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Entomology
James L. Occi, Victoria M. Campbell, Dina M. Fonseca, Richard G. Robbins
Summary: Ixodes scapularis is a three-host tick found throughout the northeastern, coastal southeastern, and upper midwestern United States and is considered the most significant vector of tick-borne pathogens to humans in North America. Despite previously not being reported feeding on bats, recent studies in rural New York State have found a relationship between I. scapularis and big brown bats.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Cheryl Frank Sullivan, James L. Occi, Julia R. Brennan, Richard G. Robbins, Margaret Skinner, Alyssa B. Bennett, Bruce L. Parker, Dina M. Fonseca
Summary: The soft tick Carios kelleyi, which can carry disease-causing bacteria, has been found in bats in Vermont for the first time. The presence and impact of C. kelleyi on human, animal, and bat health in northern New England remain unclear.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Entomology
Ilia Rochlin, Andrea Egizi, Anders Lindstrom
Summary: This article provides evidence to support Kalm's identification of Amblyomma americanum based on a modern translation of his 1754 report and other sources. The article also discusses the distributional changes of A. americanum and attributes its current northward expansion to large-scale anthropogenic changes in the landscape. Understanding the history of this tick species and the factors contributing to its expansion is important for predicting its future distribution and potential to transmit human pathogens.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Waheed Bajwa, Leonid Tsynman, Andrea M. Egizi, Rafal Tokarz, Lauren P. Maestas, Dina M. Fonseca
Summary: We report the distribution of Amblyomma maculatum ticks in Staten Island and Brooklyn in New York City, as well as in Atlantic and Cumberland counties in southern New Jersey. Adult ticks were the most commonly detected, but larvae were also found in Freshkills Park in Staten Island. The ticks were found to carry human pathogens.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2022)
Correction
Infectious Diseases
David Roiz, Anne L. Wilson, Thomas W. Scott, Dina M. Fonseca, Frederic Jourdain, Pie Mueller, Raman Velayudhan, Vincent Corbel
PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Ilia Rochlin, Andrea Egizi, Howard S. Ginsberg
Summary: This study examined the distributional shifts of lone star ticks in the United States and its relationship with climate change. The findings suggest that the expansion of the tick's range is not significantly influenced by climate change, but rather by factors such as re-occupying historical range and changes in land use and host populations.
EXPERIMENTAL AND APPLIED ACAROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Andrea Egizi, Nicole E. Wagner, Robert A. Jordan, Dana C. Price
Summary: Lone star ticks are expanding in the northeast United States and outnumbering blacklegged ticks. There is a need to focus on the health risks of A. americanum-transmitted pathogens, such as Heartland and Bourbon viruses. In Monmouth County, NJ, three lone star ticks were found to be carrying Bourbon virus, with a genome closely related to human pathogenic isolates. This has important public health implications for the region.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
James L. Occi, Dana C. Price, MacKenzie Hall, Victoria Campbell, Stephanie Stronsick, Cheryl F. Sullivan, Risa Pesapane, Julia Gonzalez, Alvaro Toledo, Dina M. Fonseca
Summary: This study assessed the presence of Rickettsia and Borrelia bacteria in Alectorobius kelleyi parasitizing synanthropic bats in urbanized areas of the northeastern United States. The results showed that the majority of A. kelleyi were larvae collected from sick or injured bats undergoing care at rehabilitation centers. In addition, adult A. kelleyi were captured in residential living areas. The study suggests that human exposure to ectoparasites infesting wildlife should be considered in the epidemiology of tick-borne diseases.
TICKS AND TICK-BORNE DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Ilia Rochlin, Andrea Egizi, Zoe Narvaez, Denise L. Bonilla, Mike Gallagher, Gregory M. Williams, Tadhgh Rainey, Dana C. Price, Dina M. Fonseca
Summary: The Asian longhorned tick is a vector of arboviral and bacterial pathogens in its native regions and has expanded to other areas. Little is known about the factors influencing its distribution at local scales. This study used ecological niche modeling to examine the impact of physiogeographic conditions on the distribution of this tick in New Jersey.
TICKS AND TICK-BORNE DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Julia R. Brennan, Samantha Boychuck, Anthony John Washkwich, Henry John-Alder, Dina M. Fonseca
Summary: Forest thinning is a management practice used to improve forest health, reduce wildfire risk, and manage wildlife. This study found that forest thinning resulted in warmer and drier microclimates, leading to a significant reduction in tick abundance. The results suggest that forest management strategies can effectively lower the risk of tick-borne diseases. Rating: 8/10.
TICKS AND TICK-BORNE DISEASES
(2023)
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
Esther Annan, Jailos Lubinda, Jesus Trevino, William Messer, Dina Fonseca, Penghua Wang, Jurgen Pilz, Benjamin Lintner, Aracely Angulo-Molina, Ana L. Gallego-Hernandez, Ubydul Haque
Summary: Pathogen strain diversity plays a crucial role in epidemic trajectories. In this study, the impact of bioclimatic factors on the spatial distribution of dengue virus serotypes was examined in Mexico. Municipality-level environmental suitability maps were developed using climatic variables and maximum entropy modeling. The results highlighted the importance of temperature, precipitation, and humidity in determining the suitability for different DENV serotypes. Ongoing surveillance and monitoring of bioclimatic parameters are recommended to track potential changes in DENV serotype distribution.
TRANSBOUNDARY AND EMERGING DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Parasitology
Zoe E. Narvaez, Tadhgh Rainey, Rose Puelle, Arsala Khan, Robert A. Jordan, Andrea M. Egizi, Dana C. Price
Summary: This study investigated human pathogens vectored by blacklegged ticks in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. The results showed a high infection rate and co-infection with multiple pathogens in the county. Notably, the presence of Powassan virus was detected for the first time in Hunterdon County. Further investigation of non-entomological factors that may influence the incidence of tick-borne illnesses in the county is recommended based on comparisons with nearby counties' active surveillance initiatives.
CURRENT RESEARCH IN PARASITOLOGY & VECTOR-BORNE DISEASES
(2023)