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Ticks and tick-borne diseases

Subject Editor
Anna Bajer, University of Warsaw, Poland


The Ticks and tick-borne diseases section publishes studies looking at all aspects of ticks, including systematics, phylogenetics, taxonomy (including new species descriptions), evolution, ecology, biology, physiology, biochemistry, genomics, proteomics, and control. Studies relating to tick-borne pathogens (e.g., occurrence and prevalence in ticks and vertebrate hosts, coinfections, transmission, pathogen interactions with ticks and vertebrate hosts at the molecular and cellular levels) and tick-borne diseases (e.g., epidemiology, diagnosis, immunology, treatment, prevention and control) in domestic animals, wildlife and humans are also welcome.

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  1. The genus Rickettsia contains the lineages spotted fever group (SFG), typhus group (TG), and transitional group (TRG). The spotted fever group Rickettsia (SFGR) is transmitted by ticks. The tick species Dermacent...

    Authors: Zheng Gui, Hao Cai, Dong-Dong Qi, Shun Zhang, Shao-Yin Fu, Jing-Feng Yu, Xiao-Yan Si, Ting Cai and Rui Mao
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:286
    Content type: Research Published on:

  2. Malaria is a major global parasitic disease caused by species of the genus Plasmodium. Zygotes of Plasmodium spp. undergo meiosis and develop into tetraploid ookinetes, which differentiate into oocysts that under...

    Authors: Yasunaga Yoshikawa, Shunta Kimura, Akira Soga, Makoto Sugiyama, Aki Ueno, Hiroki Kondo, Zida Zhu, Kazuhiko Ochiai, Kazuhiko Nakayama, Jun Hakozaki, Kodai Kusakisako, Asako Haraguchi, Taisuke Kitano, Koichi Orino, Shinya Fukumoto and Hiromi Ikadai
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:244
    Content type: Research Published on:

  3. In Mongolia, the taiga tick Ixodes persulcatus is the major vector of tick-borne pathogens. Knowledge about co-infections of these pathogens in ticks is necessary both for understanding their persistence in natur...

    Authors: Ekaterina K. Lagunova, Natalia A. Liapunova, Davaakhu Tuul, Gerechuluun Otgonsuren, Davaadorj Nomin, Nyamdorj Erdenebat, Davaajav Abmed, Galina A. Danchinova, Kozue Sato, Hiroki Kawabata and Maxim A. Khasnatinov
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:236
    Content type: Research Published on:

  4. Relapsing fever group Borrelia (RFGB) are motile spirochetes transmitted to mammalian or avian hosts through the bite of hematophagous arthropods, such as soft ticks (Argasidae), hard ticks (Ixodidae) and the hum...

    Authors: Álvaro A. Faccini-Martínez, Carlos Ramiro Silva-Ramos, Adriana M. Santodomingo, Alejandro Ramírez-Hernández, Francisco B. Costa, Marcelo B. Labruna and Sebastián Muñoz-Leal
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:196
    Content type: Review Published on:

  5. Amblyomma sculptum is a hard tick that is associated with domestic animals and the transmission of Brazilian spotted fever. This association has motivated several field studies on this ixodid tick within its dist...

    Authors: Luiza Gabriella Ferreira de Paula, Rafael Moreira do Nascimento, Artur de Oliveira Franco, Matias Pablo Juan Szabó, Marcelo Bahia Labruna, Caio Monteiro and Felipe da Silva Krawczak
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:193
    Content type: Review Published on:

  6. Relapsing fever borreliosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria of the genus Borrelia, inflicting recurrent episodes of fever and spirochetemia in humans. Borrelia persica, the causative agent of relapsin...

    Authors: Gad Baneth, Ann Dvorkin, Bar Ben-Shitrit, Gabriela Kleinerman, Harold Salant, Reinhard K. Straubinger and Yaarit Nachum-Biala
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:102
    Content type: Research Published on:

  7. The raccoon Procyon lotor (Linnaeus, 1758) (Carnivora; Procyonidae) is one of the most important and most intensively studied invasive mammal species in Europe. Within the last 30 years the raccoon has spread at ...

    Authors: Joanna Hildebrand, Agnieszka Perec-Matysiak, Marcin Popiołek, Dorota Merta, Izabella Myśliwy and Katarzyna Buńkowska-Gawlik
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:162
    Content type: Short report Published on:

  8. Among protozoan parasites in the genus Babesia, Babesia bigemina is endemic and widespread in the East African region while the status of the more pathogenic Babesia bovis remains unclear despite the presence of ...

    Authors: Naftaly W. Githaka, Richard P. Bishop, Jan Šlapeta, David Emery, Edward K. Nguu and Esther G. Kanduma
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:161
    Content type: Research Published on:

  9. Soft ticks (Ixodida: Argasidae) are medically important ectoparasites that mainly feed on birds and mammals, which play a key role in their geographic distribution and dispersion. Despite their importance, stu...

    Authors: Abid Ali, Muhammad Numan, Mehran Khan, Ome Aiman, Sebastián Muñoz-Leal, Lidia Chitimia-Dobler, Marcelo B. Labruna and Ard M. Nijhof
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:138
    Content type: Research Published on:

  10. Information on the altitudinal distribution of the hard ticks Amblyomma aureolatum and Amblyomma ovale in Brazil is scarce and mainly limited to occasional records. In this study we report our evaluation of recor...

    Authors: João L. H. Faccini, Hélio F. Santos, Lívio M. Costa-Junior, Socrates F. Costa-Neto, Wagner S. Tassinari and Hermes R. Luz
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:136
    Content type: Short report Published on:

  11. The range of the ornate dog tick Dermacentor reticulatus is rapidly expanding in Europe. This tick species is the vector of canine babesiosis, caused by Babesia canis, and also plays a role in the transmission of...

    Authors: Ondřej Daněk, Kristýna Hrazdilová, Dominika Kozderková, Daria Jirků and David Modrý
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:132
    Content type: Research Published on:

  12. In recent decades, populations of the raccoon (Procyon lotor) and the raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonides) have increased and adapted to peri-urban and urban environments in many parts of the world. Their abilit...

    Authors: Izabella Myśliwy, Agnieszka Perec-Matysiak and Joanna Hildebrand
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:126
    Content type: Review Published on:

  13. Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), caused by the SFTS virus (SFTSV), is an acute infectious disease transmitted by ticks that has recently been identified. There are no reports of epidemic ser...

    Authors: Xiao-Hu Han, Yue Ma, Hong-Yan Liu, Dan Li, Yan Wang, Feng-Hua Jiang, Qing-Tian Gao, Feng Jiang, Bao-Shan Liu, Guo-Shun Shen and Ze-Liang Chen
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:120
    Content type: Research Published on:

  14. Ixodes barkeri, a tick with a distinctive ventrolateral horn-like projection on palpal segment 1, was described in 2019 from two male ticks from the Wet Tropics of Far North Queensland, Australia. However, female...

    Authors: Dayana Barker, Samuel Kelava, Renfu Shao, Owen D. Seeman, Malcolm K. Jones, Ryo Nakao, Stephen C. Barker and Dmitry A. Apanaskevich
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:117
    Content type: Research Published on:

  16. The impact of infections with tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) other than Borrelia burgdorferi (s.l.) and tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) on public health in Europe remains unclear. Our goal is to evaluate whethe...

    Authors: Tal Azagi, Margriet Harms, Arno Swart, Manoj Fonville, Dieuwertje Hoornstra, Lapo Mughini-Gras, Joppe W. Hovius, Hein Sprong and Cees van den Wijngaard
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:93
    Content type: Research Published on:

  17. Ticks are important vectors and transmit diverse pathogens, including protozoa, viruses, and bacteria. Tick-borne diseases can cause damage to both human health and the livestock industries. The control and pr...

    Authors: Zhang Ruiling, Liu Wenjuan, Zhang Kexin, Wang Xuejun and Zhang Zhong
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:89
    Content type: Research Published on:

  18. Ticks are important vectors of various pathogenic protozoa, bacteria and viruses that cause serious and life-threatening illnesses in humans and animals worldwide. Estimating tick-borne pathogen prevalence in ...

    Authors: Shirley C. Nimo-Paintsil, Mba Mosore, Seth Offei Addo, Taylor Lura, Janice Tagoe, Danielle Ladzekpo, Charlotte Addae, Ronald E. Bentil, Eric Behene, Courage Dafeamekpor, Victor Asoala, Anne Fox, Chaselynn M. Watters, Jeffrey W. Koehler, Randy J. Schoepp, Hanayo Arimoto…
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:86
    Content type: Research Published on:

  19. Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks are reported on dogs from an increasing geographic range. This study aimed to determine the sustained efficacy of Seresto® collars (imidacloprid/flumethrin) against experimental in...

    Authors: Leon Meyer, Nouha Lekouch, Gertraut Altreuther, Bettina Schunack and Matthias Pollmeier
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:77
    Content type: Research Published on:

  20. The main objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of nine vector-borne pathogens or pathogen genera in roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) in the Netherlands, and to identify which host variables predic...

    Authors: Sara R. Wijburg, Manoj Fonville, Arnout de Bruin, Piet A. van Rijn, Margriet G. E. Montizaan, Jan van den Broek, Hein Sprong and Jolianne M. Rijks
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:76
    Content type: Research Published on:

  21. Ixodid ticks from the Northern Hemisphere have registered a northward expansion in recent years, and Dermacentor reticulatus is such an example in Europe, its expansion being considered a result of climate change...

    Authors: Cristian Răileanu, Oliver Tauchmann and Cornelia Silaghi
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:65
    Content type: Research Published on:

  22. Ticks are important vectors of many pathogens that have contributed to the morbidity and mortality of humans and domestic animals worldwide. Wildlife species have also been implicated as reservoir hosts of a v...

    Authors: Candice Sant, Devon Seunarine, Nadine Holder, Krystal Maharaj, Melanie Vaughan, Shimon Harrus, Ricardo Gutierrez, Yaarit Nachum-Biala, Gad Baneth, Roxanne Charles, Patricia Pow-Brown, Rod Suepaul and Karla Georges
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:62
    Content type: Research Published on:

  23. A subset of Australians who have been bitten by ticks experience a complex of chronic and debilitating symptoms which cannot be attributed to the known pathogenic species of bacteria present in Australia. As a...

    Authors: Caitlin A. O’Brien, Bixing Huang, David Warrilow, Jessamine E. Hazlewood, Helle Bielefeldt-Ohmann, Sonja Hall-Mendelin, Cassandra L. Pegg, Jessica J. Harrison, Devina Paramitha, Natalee D. Newton, Benjamin L. Schulz, Andreas Suhrbier, Jody Hobson-Peters and Roy A. Hall
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:59
    Content type: Research Published on:

  24. There have been ongoing efforts to identify anti-tick vaccine targets to protect cattle from infestation with cattle fever ticks Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus. Two commercial vaccines based on the tick gut ...

    Authors: Glen A. Scoles, Hala E. Hussein, Cassandra L. Olds, Kathleen L. Mason and Sara K. Davis
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:49
    Content type: Research Published on:

  25. Ticks, which are ectoparasites of animals, may carry multiple pathogens. The cattle tick Rhipicephalus microplus is an important bovine parasite in China. However, the midgut microbiome of R. microplus from China...

    Authors: Xue-Ling Zhang, Yuan-Ping Deng, Tian Yang, Le-Yan Li, Tian-Yin Cheng, Guo-Hua Liu and De-Yong Duan
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:48
    Content type: Research Published on:

  26. Canine babesiosis is an important tick-borne disease in endemic regions. One of the relevant subspecies in Europe is Babesia canis, and it can cause severe clinical signs such as hemolytic anemia. Apart from acut...

    Authors: Tera Pijnacker, Richard Bartels, Martin van Leeuwen and Erik Teske
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:41
    Content type: Research Published on:

  27. Hyalomma anatolicum is a widely distributed tick species that acts as a vector transmitting tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) in livestock. Such pathogens affect the health of livestock and consequently reduce their pr...

    Authors: Nighat Perveen, Sabir Bin Muzaffar, Ranjit Vijayan and Mohammad Ali Al-Deeb
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:30
    Content type: Research Published on:

  28. A number of tick-borne pathogens circulate in the Belgian tick population in addition to the causative agent of Lyme borreliosis. However, so far, only a few patients with tick-borne diseases other than Lyme b...

    Authors: Laurence Geebelen, Tinne Lernout, Katrien Tersago, Sanne Terryn, Joppe W. Hovius, Arieke Docters van Leeuwen, Steven Van Gucht, Niko Speybroeck and Hein Sprong
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:27
    Content type: Research Published on:

  29. Microsporidia is a large group of eukaryotic obligate intracellular spore-forming parasites, of which 17 species can cause microsporidiosis in humans. Most human-infecting microsporidians belong to the genera Ent...

    Authors: Artur Trzebny, Justyna Liberska, Anna Slodkowicz-Kowalska and Miroslawa Dabert
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:26
    Content type: Short report Published on:

  30. There is limited clinical or epidemiological knowledge regarding Bartonella infection in cats, and no serological studies have compared the presence of antibodies against different Bartonella species. Moreover, t...

    Authors: Alejandra Álvarez-Fernández, Ricardo Maggi, Gerard Eduard Martín-Valls, Marta Baxarias, Edward Bealmear Breitschwerdt and Laia Solano-Gallego
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:6
    Content type: Research Published on:

  31. The argasid tick Ornithodoros erraticus is the main vector of tick-borne human relapsing fever (TBRF) and African swine fever (ASF) in the Mediterranean Basin. The prevention and control of these diseases would g...

    Authors: Ricardo Pérez-Sánchez, Angel Carnero-Morán, M. Luz Valero and Ana Oleaga
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:1
    Content type: Research Published on:

  32. Anaplasma, Babesia and Theileria are tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) that affect livestock worldwide. However, information on these pathogens in yaks (Bos grunniens) and Tibetan sheep (Ovis aries) on the Qinghai-Tib...

    Authors: Yongcai He, Wangkai Chen, Ping Ma, Yaoping Wei, Ruishan Li, Zhihong Chen, Shuyu Tian, Tongsheng Qi, Jinfang Yang, Yali Sun, Jixu Li, Ming Kang and Ying Li
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:613
    Content type: Research Published on:

  33. The Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) genogroup is the causative agent responsible for Lyme borreliosis, a common tick-borne infectious disease in some temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. In humans...

    Authors: Zsuzsa Kalmár, Violeta Briciu, Mircea Coroian, Mirela Flonta, Amanda-Lelia Rădulescu, Adriana Topan, Andrei Daniel Mihalca and Mihaela Lupșe
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:596
    Content type: Research Published on:

  34. The tick Ixodes ricinus is an important vector of tick-borne diseases including Lyme borreliosis. In continental Europe, the nymphal stage of I. ricinus often has a bimodal phenology with a large spring peak and ...

    Authors: Cindy Bregnard, Olivier Rais, Coralie Herrmann, Olaf Kahl, Katharina Brugger and Maarten J. Voordouw
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:570
    Content type: Research Published on:

  35. Triatoma sordida is one of the main Chagas disease vectors in Brazil. In addition to Brazil, this species has already been reported in Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. It is hypothesized that the insect...

    Authors: Fernanda Fernandez Madeira, Luiza Maria Grzyb Delgado, Isadora de Freitas Bittinelli, Jader de Oliveira, Amanda Ravazi, Yago Visinho dos Reis, Ana Beatriz Bortolozo de Oliveira, Daniel Cesaretto Cristal, Cleber Galvão, Maria Tercília Vilela de Azeredo-Oliveira, João Aristeu da Rosa and Kaio Cesar Chaboli Alevi
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:553
    Content type: Research Published on:

  36. The ixodid tick genera Rhipicephalus and Haemaphysalis contain several species of medical and/or veterinary importance, but their diversity in some regions of the world remains under-explored. For instance, very ...

    Authors: Samia Q. Alghamdi, Van Lun Low, Hadil A. Alkathiry, Abdulaziz N. Alagaili, John W. McGarry and Benjamin L. Makepeace
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:541
    Content type: Research Published on:

  37. Scrub typhus is an important neglected vector-borne zoonotic disease across the Asia–Pacific region, with an expanding known distribution. The disease ecology is poorly understood, despite the large global bur...

    Authors: Ivo Elliott, Neeranuch Thangnimitchok, Kittipong Chaisiri, Tri Wangrangsimakul, Piangnet Jaiboon, Nicholas P. J. Day, Daniel H. Paris, Paul N. Newton and Serge Morand
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:540
    Content type: Research Published on:

  38. Two populations of Dermacentor reticulatus ticks (Western and Eastern) in Poland are among the most dynamic tick populations in Central Europe. Expansion and settlement of ticks in new localizations depend on the...

    Authors: Dorota Dwużnik-Szarek, Ewa Julia Mierzejewska and Anna Bajer
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:536
    Content type: Research Published on:

  39. Bartonella spp. are emerging pathogens transmitted by arthropod vectors, possibly including ticks. We have investigated signs of bartonellosis in Swedish patients with presumed tick-bite exposure and symptom dura...

    Authors: Marie Edvinsson, Camilla Norlander, Kenneth Nilsson, Andreas Mårtensson, Elisabet Skoog and Björn Olsen
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:530
    Content type: Research Published on:

  40. Identifying the mechanisms driving disease risk is challenging for multi-host pathogens, such as Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.), the tick-borne bacteria causing Lyme disease. Deer are tick reproduction ho...

    Authors: Sara Gandy, Elizabeth Kilbride, Roman Biek, Caroline Millins and Lucy Gilbert
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:509
    Content type: Research Published on:

  42. During the period of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, strong intervention measures, such as lockdown, travel restriction, and suspension of work and production, may have curbed the spread of o...

    Authors: Xiaoqing Cheng, Jianli Hu, Li Luo, Zeyu Zhao, Nan Zhang, Mikah Ngwanguong Hannah, Jia Rui, Shengnan Lin, Yuanzhao Zhu, Yao Wang, Meng Yang, Jingwen Xu, Xingchun Liu, Tianlong Yang, Weikang Liu, Peihua Li…
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:483
    Content type: Research Published on:

  43. Little information is available about malaria and scrub typhus co-infection. This study aimed to investigate the pooled prevalence of malaria and scrub typhus co-infection in febrile patients. Further, it aime...

    Authors: Polrat Wilairatana, Saruda Kuraeiad, Pongruj Rattaprasert and Manas Kotepui
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:471
    Content type: Research Published on:

  44. Anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis are tick-borne diseases affecting humans and livestock, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. Animal husbandry is the main activity of people on the borders of Iran an...

    Authors: Nayyereh Choubdar, Fateh Karimian, Mona Koosha, Jalil Nejati and Mohammad Ali Oshaghi
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:469
    Content type: Research Published on:

  45. Canine babesiosis is a disease caused by a parasite of the genus Babesia which destroys red blood cells. Previous studies have shown the presence of Babesia vogeli in rural areas in Costa Rica using molecular tec...

    Authors: Andrea García-Quesada, Ana Jiménez-Rocha, Juan José Romero-Zuñiga and Gaby Dolz
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:468
    Content type: Short report Published on:

  46. Hepatozoon canis is a protozoan transmitted to dogs and other wild carnivores by the ingestion of ticks containing mature oocysts and is considered the principal cause of canine hepatozoonosis in the world. Here,...

    Authors: Antonio Acini Vásquez-Aguilar, Arturo Barbachano-Guerrero, Diego F. Angulo and Víctor Hugo Jarquín-Díaz
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:467
    Content type: Research Published on:

  47. Powassan virus (POWV; genus Flavivirus) is the sole North American member of the tick-borne encephalitis sero-complex and an increasing public health threat in the USA. Maintained in nature by Ixodes spp. ticks, ...

    Authors: Rohit Sharma, Duncan W. Cozens, Philip M. Armstrong and Douglas E. Brackney
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:466
    Content type: Research Published on:

  48. Lyme disease, caused primarily by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, is the most prevalent vector-borne disease in the United States. Treatment of rodent pathogen reservoirs with an oral acaricide may suppress t...

    Authors: David M. Poché, Kelsey Dawson, Batchimeg Tseveenjav and Richard M. Poché
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:459
    Content type: Research Published on:

  49. Complement has been considered as an important factor impacting the host–pathogen association of spirochetes belonging to the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex, and may play a role in the spirochete’s ecolo...

    Authors: Valerie Sürth, Isabel Lopes de Carvalho, Maria Sofia Núncio, Ana Cláudia Norte and Peter Kraiczy
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:451
    Content type: Short report Published on:

  50. Lyme borreliosis and other tick-borne diseases emerge from increased interactions between humans, other animals, and infected ticks. The risk of acquiring a tick-borne infection varies across space and time, s...

    Authors: Fanny Olsthoorn, Hein Sprong, Manoj Fonville, Mara Rocchi, Jolyon Medlock, Lucy Gilbert and Jaboury Ghazoul
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:430
    Content type: Research Published on:

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