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Ticks and the microbes they transmit have emerged in sub-Saharan Africa as a major threat to veterinary and public health. Although progress has been made in detecting and identifying tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) across vast agroecologies of Kenya, comprehensive information on tick species infesting cattle and their associated pathogens in coastal Kenya needs to be updated and expanded. Ticks infesting extensively grazed zebu cattle in 14 villages were sampled and identified based on morphology and molecular methods and tested for the presence of bacterial and protozoan TBPs using PCR with high-resolution melting analysis and gene sequencing. In total, 3,213 adult ticks were collected and identified as Rhipicephalus appendiculatus (15.8%), R. evertsi (12.8%), R. microplus (11.3%), R. pulchellus (0.1%), Amblyomma gemma (24.1%), A. variegatum (35.1%), Hyalomma rufipes (0.6%), and H. albiparmatum (0.2%). Ticks were infected with Rickettsia africae, Ehrlichia ruminantium, E. minasensis, Theileria velifera and T. parva. Coxiella sp. endosymbionts were detected in the Rhipicephalus and Amblyomma ticks. Co-infections with two and three different pathogens were identified in 6.9% (n = 95/1382) and 0.1% (n = 2/1382) of single tick samples, respectively, with the most common co-infection being R. africae and E. ruminantium (7.2%, CI: 4.6 – 10.6). All samples were negative for Coxiella burnetii, Anaplasma spp. and Babesia spp. Our study provides an overview of tick and tick-borne microbial diversities in coastal Kenya.

Tick-borne diseases have recently been considered a potential emerging public health threat in Malaysia; however, fundamental studies into tick-borne pathogens and microbiome appear limited. In this study, six tick species (Ixodes granulatus, Haemaphysa-lis hystricis, Haemaphysalis shimoga, Dermacentor compactus, Dermacentor steini and Dermacentor atrosignatus) collected from two primary forests and an oil palm plantation in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, were used for microbiome analysis targeting bacterial 16S rDNA using next-generation sequencing (NGS). In addition, bacterial species were further characterized in con-ventional PCRs to identify potential pathogens. Sequences generated from NGS were first filtered with the Decontam package in R before subsequent microbial diversity analyses. Alpha and beta analyses revealed that the genus Dermacentor had the highest microbial diversity, and H. shimoga significantly differed in microbial composition from other tick species. Alpha and beta diversities were also significantly different between developmental stages of H. shimoga. Furthermore, we observed that some bacterial groups were significantly more abundant in certain tick species and developmental stages of H. shimoga. We tested the relative abundances using pairwise linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe), which also revealed significant microbial composition differences between Borrelia-positive and Borrelia-negative I. granulatus ticks. Finally, pathogenic and potentially pathogenic bacteria circulating in different tick species, such as Rickettsia heilongjiangensis, Ehrlichia sp., Anaplasma sp. and Bartonella spp. were characterized by PCR and sequencing. Moreover, Coxiella and Francisella- like potential symbionts were identified from H. shimoga and D. steini, respectively. More studies are required to unravel the factors associated with the variations observed in this study.

Ticks and tick-borne diseases are considered a major challenge for human and animal health in tropical, sub-tropical, and temperate regions of the world. However, only scarce information is available on the characterization of tick species infesting dogs in Pakistan. In this study, we present a comprehensive report on the epidemiological and phylogenetic aspects of ticks infesting dogs in Pakistan using the mitochondrial markers i.e. Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) and 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) nucleotide sequences. A total of 300 dogs were examined and 1150 ixodid ticks were collected across central Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The morpho-molecular characterization of hard ticks revealed the presence of two ixodid tick genera on dogs, i.e., Hyalomma and Rhipicephalus, including six tick species viz. Hyalomma dromedarii (15.9%), Hyalomma excavatum (3%), Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. (41.3%), Rhipicephalus turanicus s.s. (28.7%), Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides (10.2%), and Rhipicephalus microplus (2%). The total prevalence of tick infestation in dogs was 61%. The district with the highest tick prevalence rate in dogs was Mardan (14.7%), followed by Peshawar (13%), Swabi (12%), Charsadda (11%), and Malakand (10.3%), respectively. Risk factors analysis indicated that some demographic and host management-associated factors such as host age, breed, exposure to acaricides treatment, and previous tick infestation history were associated with a higher risk of tick infestation on dogs. This is the first molecular report confirming the infestation of Hyalomma and Rhipicephalus tick species in the dog population from the study area. The present study also reported a new tick–host association between Hy. excavatum, Hy. dromedarii, and dogs. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that cox1 partial nucleotide sequences of Hy. excavatum in our dataset were 100% identical to similar tick specimens identified in Turkey, and those of Hy. dromedarii were identical to tick specimens

Ticks are worldwide ectoparasites to humans and animals, and are associated with numerous health and economic effects. Threatening over 80% of the global cattle population, tick and tick-borne diseases (TTBDs) particularly constrain livestock production in the East, Central and Southern Africa. This, therefore, makes their control critical to the sustainability of the animal industry in the region. Since ticks are developing resistance against acaricides, anti-tick vaccines (ATVs) have been proposed as an environmentally friendly control alternative. Whereas they have been used in Latin America and Australia to reduce tick populations, pathogenic infections and number of acaricide treatments, commercially registered ATVs have not been adopted in tropical Africa for tick control. This is majorly due to their limited protection against economically important tick species of Africa and lack of research. Recent advances in various omics technologies and reverse vaccinology have enabled the identification of many candidate anti-tick antigens (ATAs), and are likely to usher in the next generation of vaccines, for which Africa should prepare to embrace. Herein, we highlight some scientific principles and approaches that have been used to identify ATAs, outline characteristics of a desirable ATA for vaccine design and propose the need for African governments to investment in ATV research to develop vaccines relevant to local tick species (personalized vaccines). We have also discussed the prospect of incorporating anti-tick vaccines into the integrated TTBDs control strategies in the sub-Saharan Africa, citing the case of Uganda., [Simple Summary] Ticks affect the health of humans and animals. In tropical African countries, cattle are threatened by ticks and the diseases they transmit, making necessary a tick control to avoid endangering the production of this industry. In this review, different vaccine candidates and different approaches are proposed as an environmentally friendly control alternative that can be included in the strategies of these countries to prevent tick-borne diseases their consequences.

The Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Utah Public Health Lab (UPHL) conduct tick surveillance to better understand the distribution of tick species across the state, seasonal tick trends, and potential tickborne pathogens which can be acquired in Utah. All of these data help identify areas of risk for certain tickborne diseases across the state. The tick surveillance project began in the summer 2020, and tick identification at UPHL began in summer 2022. Along with DHHS and UPHL, these surveillance efforts have been conducted with help from several other partners including the local health departments (LHDs) throughout the state of Utah, Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR), the Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Heber Valley Camp, and citizens of Utah who submit tick specimens to UPHL. This annual report summarizes the tick surveillance efforts during the 2022 season, including locations where tick drag events occurred, which tick specimens were found, and tick surveillance expansion and improvement efforts.

Research initiatives that engage the public (i.e., community science or citizen science) increasingly provide insights into tick exposures in the United States. However, these data have important caveats, particularly with respect to reported travel history and tick identification. Here, we assessed whether a smartphone application, The Tick App, provides reliable and novel insights into tick exposures across three domains — travel history, broad spatial and temporal patterns of species-specific encounters, and tick identification. During 2019–2021, we received 11,424 tick encounter submissions from across the United States, with nearly all generated in the Midwest and Northeast regions. Encounters were predominantly with human hosts (71%); although one-fourth of ticks were found on animals. Half of the encounters (51%) consisted of self-reported peri‑domestic exposures, while 37% consisted of self-reported recreational exposures. Using phone-based location services, we detected differences in travel history outside of the users’ county of residence along an urbanicity gradient. Approximately 75% of users from large metropolitan and rural counties had travel out-of-county in the four days prior to tick detection, whereas an estimated 50–60% of users from smaller metropolitan areas did. Furthermore, we generated tick encounter maps for Dermacentor variabilis and Ixodes scapularis that partially accounted for travel history and overall mirrored previously published species distributions. Finally, we evaluated whether a streamlined three-question sequence (on tick size, feeding status, and color) would inform a simple algorithm to optimize image-based tick identification. Visual aides of tick coloration and size engaged and guided users towards species and life stage classification moderately well, with 56% of one-time submitters correctly selecting photos of D. variabilis adults and 76% of frequent-submitters correctly selecting photos of D. variabilis adults. Togethe

Babesiosis is a tick-borne disease of dogs caused by protozoan parasite belonging to genus Babesia. In Serbia the presence of Babesia canis and B.gibsoni has been recorded in past decades. Spread of babesiosis in dogs in Belgrade area has been continuously examined since 1997. In this paper we present the results of prevalence for babesiosis in dogs in the period 2010-2019. In total 3085 dogs' blood samples with clinical signs of babesiosis (anemia, haemoglobinuria, fever, pale of mucous membrane etc.) or infested with ticks were examined. We used capillary blood for examination, blood films were air-dried, fixed in absolute methanol (>99.8%) for 1 minute and stained with 10% Giemsa stain for 20-30 minutes. Babesia species were identified by morphometric characteristics. The positive results were found in 36.69% (1132/3085) of suspected animals. Throughout years the following results were obtained: in 2010 babesiosis was established in 35.47%; in 2011 in 36.26%; 2012 in 41.04%; 2013 in 33.74%; 2014 in 34.96%; in 2015 in 31.88%; in 2016 in 33.77%; in 2017 in41.71%; in 2018 in 37.97% and in 2019 in 35.97%. Dominant Babesia species occurred during our examination was B.canis establish in more than 95% positive cases. The dynamics of occurrence of dog babesiosis was monitored from January to December. They showed that babesiosis occurs throughout the year in dogs. It was noted that the increase in incidence of dog babesiosis started in the interval March-April. May was the month of infection maximum, decreasing gradually until July. The autumn infection peak occurred in September and the lowest level in December. The number of positive findings of Babesia spp. in dogs in period 2010-2019 was about the same level, with small deviations, within the investigation period. The appearnce of babesiosis in dogs coincided with he seasonal dynamic of vector ticks especially Rhipicephalus sanguieneus, Dermacentor reticulatus and D. marginatus.

Tick-borne diseases have recently been considered a potential emerging public health threat in Malaysia; however, fundamental studies into tick-borne pathogens and microbiome appear limited. In this study, six tick species (Ixodes granulatus, Haemaphysa-lis hystricis, Haemaphysalis shimoga, Dermacentor compactus, Dermacentor steini and Dermacentor atrosignatus) collected from two primary forests and an oil palm plantation in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, were used for microbiome analysis targeting bacterial 16S rDNA using next-generation sequencing (NGS). In addition, bacterial species were further characterized in con-ventional PCRs to identify potential pathogens. Sequences generated from NGS were first filtered with the Decontam package in R before subsequent microbial diversity analyses. Alpha and beta analyses revealed that the genus Dermacentor had the highest microbial diversity, and H. shimoga significantly differed in microbial composition from other tick species. Alpha and beta diversities were also significantly different between developmental stages of H. shimoga. Furthermore, we observed that some bacterial groups were significantly more abundant in certain tick species and developmental stages of H. shimoga. We tested the relative abundances using pairwise linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe), which also revealed significant microbial composition differences between Borrelia-positive and Borrelia-negative I. granulatus ticks. Finally, pathogenic and potentially pathogenic bacteria circulating in different tick species, such as Rickettsia heilongjiangensis, Ehrlichia sp., Anaplasma sp. and Bartonella spp. were characterized by PCR and sequencing. Moreover, Coxiella and Francisella- like potential symbionts were identified from H. shimoga and D. steini, respectively. More studies are required to unravel the factors associated with the variations observed in this study.

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is a viral disease endemic in Eurasia. The virus is mainly transmitted to humans via ticks and occasionally via the consumption of unpasteurized milk products. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reported an increase in TBE incidence over the past years in Europe as well as the emergence of the disease in new areas. To better understand this phenomenon, we investigated the drivers of TBE emergence and increase in incidence in humans through an expert knowledge elicitation. We listed 59 possible drivers grouped in eight domains and elicited forty European experts to: (i) allocate a score per driver, (ii) weight this score within each domain, and (iii) weight the different domains and attribute an uncertainty level per domain. An overall weighted score per driver was calculated, and drivers with comparable scores were grouped into three terminal nodes using a regression tree analysis. The drivers with the highest scores were: (i) changes in human behavior/activities; (ii) changes in eating habits or consumer demand; (iii) changes in the landscape; (iv) influence of humidity on the survival and transmission of the pathogen; (v) difficulty to control reservoir(s) and/or vector(s); (vi) influence of temperature on virus survival and transmission; (vii) number of wildlife compartments/groups acting as reservoirs or amplifying hosts; (viii) increase of autochthonous wild mammals; and (ix) number of tick species vectors and their distribution. Our results support researchers in prioritizing studies targeting the most relevant drivers of emergence and increasing TBE incidence.

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is a viral disease endemic in Eurasia. The virus is mainly transmitted to humans via ticks and occasionally via the consumption of unpasteurized milk products. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reported an increase in TBE incidence over the past years in Europe as well as the emergence of the disease in new areas. To better understand this phenomenon, we investigated the drivers of TBE emergence and increase in incidence in humans through an expert knowledge elicitation. We listed 59 possible drivers grouped in eight domains and elicited forty European experts to: (i) allocate a score per driver, (ii) weight this score within each domain, and (iii) weight the different domains and attribute an uncertainty level per domain. An overall weighted score per driver was calculated, and drivers with comparable scores were grouped into three terminal nodes using a regression tree analysis. The drivers with the highest scores were: (i) changes in human behavior/activities; (ii) changes in eating habits or consumer demand; (iii) changes in the landscape; (iv) influence of humidity on the survival and transmission of the pathogen; (v) difficulty to control reservoir(s) and/or vector(s); (vi) influence of temperature on virus survival and transmission; (vii) number of wildlife compartments/groups acting as reservoirs or amplifying hosts; (viii) increase of autochthonous wild mammals; and (ix) number of tick species vectors and their distribution. Our results support researchers in prioritizing studies targeting the most relevant drivers of emergence and increasing TBE incidence.

To better understand the spatial distribution of the common tick Ixodes ricinus, we investigated how local site factors and landscape characteristics influence tick presence and abundance in different greenspaces along the natural-urban gradient in Stockholm County, Sweden. Ticks and field data were collected in 2017 and 2019 and analyzed in relation to habitat type distributions estimated from land cover maps using geographical information system (GIS). A total of 1378 (992 larvae, 370 nymphs, 13 females, and 3 males) questing ticks were collected from 295 sampling plots in 47 different greenspaces. Ticks were present in 41 of the 47 greenspaces and our results show that both local site features such as vegetation height, and landscape characteristics like the amount of mixed coniferous forest, significantly affect tick abundance. Tick abundance was highest in rural areas with large natural and seminatural habitats, but ticks were also present in parks and gardens in highly urbanized areas. Greenspaces along the natural-urban gradient should be included in surveillance for ticks and tick-borne diseases, including highly urbanized sites that may be perceived by the public as areas with low risk for tick encounters.

Ticks and lice are ectoparasites of veterinary importance to UK livestock. Infestation of livestock can result in economic losses for farmers, caused by reduced animal health and productivity, either by direct feeding effects or through the spread of vector-borne pathogens. A detailed understanding of the prevalence, distribution and associated risk factors for infestation and subsequent vector-borne disease is important to allow effective and targeted control measures to be designed and implemented. Despite this, there is limited national data about tick or louse infestation on livestock farms. The aims of this thesis were to assess the prevalence, distribution, and risk of infestation of ticks and lice and associated vector-borne disease on sheep and cattle farms across Great Britain. A retrospective questionnaire survey was sent to a nationally representitative demographic of sheep and cattle farms to collect data on the presence/absence of livestock infestation (Chapter 2). Tick infestation risk is shown to be spatially aggregated, with areas of significantly elevated risk in north Wales, northwest England and western Scotland (Chapter 3). Overall, the prevalence of farms reporting ticks was 13% for sheep farms and 6% for cattle farms, but in ‘hotspot’ clusters prevalence ranged between 48-100%. The prevalence of farms reporting lice was 16% for sheep farms and cattle farms (Chapter 6). ‘Hotspot’ clusters of farms with louse infestation were only identified for sheep farms, in Wales, northwest England and southwest Scotland, with prevalence in these areas ranging from 31-40%. In the future, it is expected that tick and tick-borne disease risk will change, as tick distribution is strongly influenced by climate. However, Europe-wide models lack sensitivity when predicting future tick distributions. A spatial model was built to predict the future risk of ticks on livestock farms under a range of climate-change scenarios (Chapter 4). Both tick hazard and liv

Tick-borne diseases have recently been considered a potential emerging public health threat in Malaysia; however, fundamental studies into tick-borne pathogens and microbiome appear limited. In this study, six tick species (Ixodes granulatus, Haemaphysa-lis hystricis, Haemaphysalis shimoga, Dermacentor compactus, Dermacentor steini and Dermacentor atrosignatus) collected from two primary forests and an oil palm plantation in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, were used for microbiome analysis targeting bacterial 16S rDNA using next-generation sequencing (NGS). In addition, bacterial species were further characterized in con-ventional PCRs to identify potential pathogens. Sequences generated from NGS were first filtered with the Decontam package in R before subsequent microbial diversity analyses. Alpha and beta analyses revealed that the genus Dermacentor had the highest microbial diversity, and H. shimoga significantly differed in microbial composition from other tick species. Alpha and beta diversities were also significantly different between developmental stages of H. shimoga. Furthermore, we observed that some bacterial groups were significantly more abundant in certain tick species and developmental stages of H. shimoga. We tested the relative abundances using pairwise linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe), which also revealed significant microbial composition differences between Borrelia-positive and Borrelia-negative I. granulatus ticks. Finally, pathogenic and potentially pathogenic bacteria circulating in different tick species, such as Rickettsia heilongjiangensis, Ehrlichia sp., Anaplasma sp. and Bartonella spp. were characterized by PCR and sequencing. Moreover, Coxiella and Francisella- like potential symbionts were identified from H. shimoga and D. steini, respectively. More studies are required to unravel the factors associated with the variations observed in this study.

Deer are keystone hosts for adult ticks and have enabled the spread of tick distributions. The ‘4-Poster’ deer bait station was developed by the United States Department of Agriculture to control ticks feeding on free-ranging deer. Although effective in certain scenarios, ‘4-Poster’ deer treatment stations require the use of bait to attract deer to one location, which may cause increased deer disease transmission rates and habitat damage. To better understand and manage the impact of baited ‘4-Poster’ stations on deer movements, we captured and GPS-monitored 35 deer as part of an integrated pest management project. Fifteen ‘4-Poster’ stations were deployed among three suburban county parks to control ticks. To quantify the effects of ‘4-Poster’ stations, we calculated deer movement metrics before and after feeders were filled with whole kernel corn, and we gathered information on visitation rates to feeders. Overall, 83.3% of collared deer visited a feeder and revisited approximately every 5 days. After feeders were refilled, collared deer were ~5% closer to feeders and conspecifics than before filling. Males used a higher percentage of available feeders and visited them more throughout the deployment periods. Although these nuanced alterations in behavior may not be strong enough to increase local deer abundance, in light of infectious diseases affecting deer populations and effective ‘4-Poster’ densities, the core range shifts and clustering after refilling bait may be a cause for concern. As such, trade-offs between conflicting management goals should be carefully considered when deploying ‘4-Poster’ stations.

Ticks are the second most important vector capable of transmitting diseases affecting the health of both humans and animals. Amblyomma testudinarium Koch 1844 (Acari: Ixodidae), is a hard tick species having a wide geographic distribution in Asia. In this study, we analyzed the composition of A. testudinarium whole mitogenomes from various geographical regions in Japan and investigated the population structure, demographic patterns, and phylogeographic relationship with other ixodid species. In addition, we characterized a potentially novel tick species closely related to A. testudinarium from Myanmar. Phylogeographic inference and evolutionary dynamics based on the 15 mitochondrial coding genes supported that A. testudinarium population in Japan is resolved into a star-like haplogroup and suggested a distinct population structure of A. testudinarium from Amami island in Kyushu region. Correlation analysis using Mantel test statistics showed that no significant correlation was observed between the genetic and geographic distances calculated between the A. testudinarium population from different localities in Japan. Finally, demographic analyses, including mismatch analysis and Tajima's D test, suggested a possibility of recent population expansion occurred within Japanese haplogroup after a bottleneck event. Although A. testudinarium has been considered widespread and common in East and Southeast Asia, the current study suggested that potentially several cryptic Amblyomma spp. closely related to A. testudinarium are present in Asia.

Babezioza pasa je protozoarno oboljenje uzrokovano sa Babesia canis (podvrste B.canis canis, B.canis vogeli i B.canis rossi koja parazitira i kod mačaka) i B. gibsoni. Prenose ih iksodidni krpelji Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Dermacentor marginatus i Dermacentor reticulates tako da je širenje bolesti u direktnoj korelaciji sa širenjem i dinamikom populacije navedenih krpelja. Oboljenje karakteriše visoka telesna temperatura, ikterus, hematurija, inapetenca i apatija. Uginuća su moguća kod pasa svih uzrasta, mada u većini slučajeva bolest protiče akutno, a prebolele životinje stiču relativan imunitet. Ovo obolenje je zadnjih deset godina u ekspanziji na području Beograda. U periodu 2019-2020.godine ukupno je pregledana krv od 227 pasa sa simptomima koji su ukazivali na prisustvo babesia. Sumnja na bolest se postavljala na osnovu kliničke slike i nalaza krpelja. Dijagnoza se postavljala nalazom babezija u krvnom razmazu periferne krvi bojenom po Giemsi. Bolest je potvrđena kod 86,76 % suspektnih životinja. B.canis je ustanovljena u 70,74% a B.gibsoni u 15,85%. U istom periodu, krpelji su prikupljeni sa 67 pasa. Na osnovu toga je zaključeno da je dominantna infestacija pasa bila sa I. ricinus u 54,4 %, potom sa Rhipicephalus sanguineus 33,05%, Dermacentor marginatus 14,35% i sa Dermacentor reticulatus u 4,41%. Takođe je rađen i pregled krpelja radi utvrđivanja stepena inficiranosti. To smo radili nalazom morula babezia iz pljuvačnih žlezdi krpelja i babesia iz krvi koje je ingestirao krpelj koje su detektovane pregledom abdominalnog sadržaja nasisanog krpelja, koji se nanosio u vidu tankog namaza na mikroskopsku pločicu, fiksirao metil alkohoholom i bojio po Giemsi. Pregledom vektorskih vrsta krpelja za babeziozu ona je ustanovljena kod 51,10% R.sanguieneus, 42,40%, D. reticulatus i 16,70% D. marginatus. Klimatske promene nastale u zadnjoj decenij uticale su da babezia izgubi svoj uobičajeni sezonski karakter tako da se sreće tokom cele godina ali ipak i dalje ostaje najv, Canine babesiosis is a protozoan disease caused by Babesia canis (subspecies of B. canis canis, B. canis vogeli and B. canis rossi that also parasitizes cats) and B. gibsoni. They are transmitted by the exodus ticks Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Dermacentor marginatus and Dermacentor reticulates, so that the spread of the disease is directly correlated with the spread and dynamics of the population of these ticks. Deaths are possible in dogs of all ages, although in most cases the disease is acute, and infected animals acquire relative immunity. This disease has been expanding in the last ten years in the area of Belgrade. In the period 2019-220, a total of 227 dogs were examined with symptoms that indicated the presence of babesia. The suspicion of the disease was based on the clinical picture and the findings of ticks. The diagnosis was made by finding babesia in a Giemsa-stained peripheral blood smear. The disease was confirmed in 86.76% of suspected animals. B. canis was found in 70.74% and B. gibsoni in 15.85%. In the same period, ticks were collected from 67 dogs. Based on this, it was concluded that the dominant infestation of dogs was with I. ricinus in 54.40%, followed by Rhipicephalus sanguineus 33.05%, Dermacentor marginatus 14.35% and Dermacentor reticulatus in 4.41%. A tick test was also performed to determine the degree of infection. We did this by finding morphology of babesia from the salivary glands of ticks and babesia from blood ingested by ticks, which were detected by examining the abdominal contents of the saturated tick, which was applied as a thin smear on a microscope plate, fixed with methyl alcohol and stained with Giemsa. Examination of vector tick species for babesiosis revealed it in 51.10% of R. sanguieneus, 42.40%, D. reticulatus and 16.70% of D. marginatus. Climate change in the last decade has caused babezia to lose its usual seasonal character so that it can be found throughout the year, but it still remains the highest prevalence duri

The method of semi-intensive pasture breeding, which is the most common in rural households in Serbia, pose a threat for cattle to be infected by ticks and to be infected by pathogens transmitted by ticks, most often by blood parasites such as cattle parasites of genera Anaplasma, Babesia and Theileria. The presence of blood parasites of cattle is insufficiently studied in Serbia, unlike helminths, so there is little data on their origin and prevalence. On the other hand, the examination of the tick fauna has been carried out extensively for several decades, and based on it, it is known that there are many vectors- ticks in these areas that transmit blood parasites of cattle. For these reasons, research on blood parasites of cattle kept in semi-intensive breeding has been initiated in the last few years. In the period 2017-2020, blood tests of cattle from several districts of Serbia were performed for the presence of blood parasites. During the examination, the presence of Anaplasma marginale, A.phagocytophilum, Theileria annulata, Babesia divergens, B. bigemina and B. bovis was established. At the same time, the fauna of ticks, which are vectors of these protozoa, was monitored.

Ticks are the second most important vector capable of transmitting diseases affecting the health of both humans and animals. Amblyomma testudinarium Koch 1844 (Acari: Ixodidae), is a hard tick species having a wide geographic distribution in Asia. In this study, we analyzed the composition of A. testudinarium whole mitogenomes from various geographical regions in Japan and investigated the population structure, demographic patterns, and phylogeographic relationship with other ixodid species. In addition, we characterized a potentially novel tick species closely related to A. testudinarium from Myanmar. Phylogeographic inference and evolutionary dynamics based on the 15 mitochondrial coding genes supported that A. testudinarium population in Japan is resolved into a star-like haplogroup and suggested a distinct population structure of A. testudinarium from Amami island in Kyushu region. Correlation analysis using Mantel test statistics showed that no significant correlation was observed between the genetic and geographic distances calculated between the A. testudinarium population from different localities in Japan. Finally, demographic analyses, including mismatch analysis and Tajima's D test, suggested a possibility of recent population expansion occurred within Japanese haplogroup after a bottleneck event. Although A. testudinarium has been considered widespread and common in East and Southeast Asia, the current study suggested that potentially several cryptic Amblyomma spp. closely related to A. testudinarium are present in Asia.

Background: Several species belonging to the genus Ehrlichia are considered pathogenic for animals and humans. Although wildlife are known to play an important role in the epidemiology of these bacteria, information on the role of wild lagomorphs in their sylvatic cycle is limited. Thus, the objective of the present study was to assess the occur‑ rence of Ehrlichia spp. in ticks collected from wild lagomorphs in Spanish Mediterranean ecosystems. Methods: A total of 1122 pooled ticks (254 pools) collected from 506 wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and 29 Iberian hares (Lepus granatensis) were analysed using a nested PCR assay targeting the partial groEL gene. Ehrlichia spp.‑positive samples were further subjected to a second PCR assay targeting 16S rRNA. Results: Three (1.2%) tick pools comprising Rhipicephalus pusillus collected from nine wild rabbits were positive for Ehrlichia spp. All the Ehrlichia DNA sequences were identical, and use of sequence and phylogenetic analyses allowed us to identify a novel Ehrlichia species. Conclusions: We provide evidence that a novel Ehrlichia species, named herein as ‘Candidatus Ehrlichia andalusi’, which may be of concern for animal and public health, is circulating in R. pusillus in Spanish Mediterranean ecosys‑ tems. Further studies are warranted to assess the epidemiology, pathogenicity and zoonotic potential of this Ehrlichia species.

Here we report the first detection and confirmation of Powassan virus (POWV) (family: Flaviridae) in Ixodes scapularis ticks collected from Appalachian Virginia. Ixodes scapularis ticks were collected from vegetation across field sites in eight counties of western Virginia from June 2019 to April 2021. From these collections, one nymph and one adult male I. scapularis were determined to be positive for POWV using real-time RT-PCR and Sanger sequencing. Both positive ticks were collected from Floyd county, VA, at residential sites; the nymph in June 2020 and the adult male in April 2021. The presence of POWV in Virginia in its natural tick vector is crucial knowledge in beginning to understand the movement and transmission of this pathogen into new geographical areas and the risk it poses to medical and veterinary health.

Introduction: The migratory behaviour of wild birds aids in the geographical spread of ticks and their microorganisms. Ticks are known to harbor both pathogenic and symbiotic bacteria - such as species of the genera Francisella, Rickettsia,and Midichloria - and multiple bacterial species may occur within them. Francisella occurs in different tick taxa andconsists of closely related pathogenic and non-pathogenic species. Spotted fever group Rickettsia are transmitted to humans by different tick genera and are emerging human pathogens in Europe. The aims of this study were to investigate dispersal of Francisella as well as co-occurrence of Francisella and spotted fever group Rickettsia in ticks infesting northward migrating birds in the African-Western Palaearctic region. Materials and methods: Birds were trapped using mist nets at bird observatories in Spain, Italy, Greece, and Israel during their spring migration of 2014 and 2015. Ticks were screened for the genus Francisella, the species Francisella tularensis, and spotted fever group Rickettsia by microfluidic qPCR. Ticks with putative positive results for F. tularensiswere subjected to confirmation analyses, metagenomics analysis, enrichment, and whole genome sequencing. Results: There was a high prevalence of Francisella species (76.7%) and co-occurrence of Francisella species and spotted fever group Rickettsia (50.6%) in the tick species Hyalomma rufipes. Two H. rufipes yielded putative positive test results for the human pathogen F. tularensis during initial screening. Metagenomics analysis revealed presence of Francisella sp., Rickettsia sp., and Midichloria sp. DNA in the two H. rufipes ticks. The levels of Rickettsia and Midichloria DNA were relatively high while the level of Francisella DNA was low and required enrichment for the construction of metagenome-assembled genomes. Phylogenetic inference and calculations of the average nucleotide identity (ANI) indicated that: i) the Francisella genomes belonged

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) host numerous ectoparasitic species in the eastern USA, most notably various species of ticks and two species of deer keds. Several pathogens transmitted by ticks to humans and other animal hosts have also been found in deer keds. Little is known about the acquisition and potential for transmission of these pathogens by deer keds; however, tick-deer ked co-feeding transmission is one possible scenario. On-host localization of ticks and deer keds on white-tailed deer was evaluated across several geographical regions of the eastern US to define tick-deer ked spatial relationships on host deer, which may impact the vector-borne disease ecology of these ectoparasites. Ticks and deer keds were collected from hunter-harvested white-tailed deer from six states in the eastern US. Each deer was divided into three body sections, and each section was checked for 4 person-minutes. Differences in ectoparasite counts across body sections and/or states were evaluated using a Bayesian generalized mixed model. A total of 168 white-tailed deer were inspected for ticks and deer keds across the study sites. Ticks (n = 1636) were collected from all surveyed states, with Ixodes scapularis (n = 1427) being the predominant species. Counts of I. scapularis from the head and front sections were greater than from the rear section. Neotropical deer keds (Lipoptena mazamae) from Alabama and Tennessee (n = 247) were more often found on the rear body section. European deer keds from Pennsylvania (all Lipoptena cervi, n = 314) were found on all body sections of deer. The distributions of ticks and deer keds on white-tailed deer were significantly different from each other, providing the first evidence of possible on-host niche partitioning of ticks and two geographically distinct deer ked species (L. cervi in the northeast and L. mazamae in the southeast). These differences in spatial distributions may have implications for acquisition and/or transmission

Objective. To evaluate the in vitro efficacy of five commercial products used in the site with the highest cattle production in Honduras. Materials and methods. Ticks were collected in four cattle farms in Catacamas (14 ° 50 'N, 85 ° 53' S), considering a quantity of 300 bovines. Approximately 1,000 R. microplus ticks were collected to implement a control group and five comparison groups, each group included two replicates with 50 individuals. The immersion method was performed with each of the five commercial products and the following rates were estimated: mortality, oviposition, hatching, reproductive efficiency and product efficacy as proposed by Drummond et al., 1973. Results. Four of the commercial products with the following active ingredients (Product 1: cypermethrin, chlorpyrifos, piperonyl butoxide. Product 2: cypermethrin, ethion, piperonyl butoxide. Product 3: amitraz. Product 4: coumaphos), obtained an efficacy > 90 %, standing out the chemical families of amidines, organophosphates and the combination of organophosphates with pyrethroids for the control of R. microplus in the town of Catacamas, Honduras. On the other hand, a product (Product 5: cypermethrin), has an efficiency of 68%. This product of the pyrethroid family shows efficacy problems with mortality of 33% and the surviving individuals have a reproductive rate of 30%. Conclusions. It is necessary to modify the use of cypermethrin in Catacamas, Honduras, incorporating a comprehensive control of parasites to reduce the possibility of antiparasitic resistance of R. microplus., Objetivo. El presente estudio tiene por objetivo evaluar la eficacia in vitro de cinco productos comerciales empleados en el sitio con mayor producción de bovinos en Honduras. Materiales y métodos. Se colectaron garrapatas en cuatro fincas ganaderas en Catacamas (14°50' N, 85°53' S), considerando una cantidad de 300 bovinos. Se colectaron aproximadamente 1,000 teleóginas de R. microplus para implementar un grupo control y cinco grupos de comparación, cada grupo incluyó dos replicas con 50 individuos. Se realizó el método de inmersión con cada uno de los cinco productos comerciales y se estimaron las siguientes tasas: mortalidad, ovoposición, eclosión, eficiencia reproductiva y eficacia del producto según lo propuesto por Drummond et al., 1973. Resultados. Cuatro de los productos comerciales con los siguientes ingredientes activos (Producto 1: cipermetrina, clorpirifós, butóxido de piperonilo. Producto 2: cipermetrina, ethion, butóxido de piperonilo. Producto 3: amitraz. Producto 4: coumaphos), obtuvieron una eficacia superior al 90%, sobresaliendo las familias químicas de amidinas, organofosforados y la combinación de organofosforados con piretroides para el control de R. microplus en la localidad de Catacamas, Honduras. Por otra parte, un producto (Producto 5: cipermetrina), presenta una eficacia del 68%. Este producto de la familia de los piretroides muestra problemas de eficacia con mortalidad del 33% y los individuos sobrevivientes presentan una tasa reproductiva del 30%. Conclusiones. Es necesario modificar el uso de la cipermetrina en Catacamas, Honduras, incorporando un control integral de parásitos para reducir la posibilidad de resistencia antiparasitaria de R. microplus.

Introduction: The migratory behaviour of wild birds aids in the geographical spread of ticks and their microorganisms. Ticks are known to harbor both pathogenic and symbiotic bacteria - such as species of the genera Francisella, Rickettsia,and Midichloria - and multiple bacterial species may occur within them. Francisella occurs in different tick taxa andconsists of closely related pathogenic and non-pathogenic species. Spotted fever group Rickettsia are transmitted to humans by different tick genera and are emerging human pathogens in Europe. The aims of this study were to investigate dispersal of Francisella as well as co-occurrence of Francisella and spotted fever group Rickettsia in ticks infesting northward migrating birds in the African-Western Palaearctic region. Materials and methods: Birds were trapped using mist nets at bird observatories in Spain, Italy, Greece, and Israel during their spring migration of 2014 and 2015. Ticks were screened for the genus Francisella, the species Francisella tularensis, and spotted fever group Rickettsia by microfluidic qPCR. Ticks with putative positive results for F. tularensiswere subjected to confirmation analyses, metagenomics analysis, enrichment, and whole genome sequencing. Results: There was a high prevalence of Francisella species (76.7%) and co-occurrence of Francisella species and spotted fever group Rickettsia (50.6%) in the tick species Hyalomma rufipes. Two H. rufipes yielded putative positive test results for the human pathogen F. tularensis during initial screening. Metagenomics analysis revealed presence of Francisella sp., Rickettsia sp., and Midichloria sp. DNA in the two H. rufipes ticks. The levels of Rickettsia and Midichloria DNA were relatively high while the level of Francisella DNA was low and required enrichment for the construction of metagenome-assembled genomes. Phylogenetic inference and calculations of the average nucleotide identity (ANI) indicated that: i) the Francisella genomes belonged

Introduction: The migratory behaviour of wild birds aids in the geographical spread of ticks and their microorganisms. Ticks are known to harbor both pathogenic and symbiotic bacteria - such as species of the genera Francisella, Rickettsia,and Midichloria - and multiple bacterial species may occur within them. Francisella occurs in different tick taxa andconsists of closely related pathogenic and non-pathogenic species. Spotted fever group Rickettsia are transmitted to humans by different tick genera and are emerging human pathogens in Europe. The aims of this study were to investigate dispersal of Francisella as well as co-occurrence of Francisella and spotted fever group Rickettsia in ticks infesting northward migrating birds in the African-Western Palaearctic region. Materials and methods: Birds were trapped using mist nets at bird observatories in Spain, Italy, Greece, and Israel during their spring migration of 2014 and 2015. Ticks were screened for the genus Francisella, the species Francisella tularensis, and spotted fever group Rickettsia by microfluidic qPCR. Ticks with putative positive results for F. tularensiswere subjected to confirmation analyses, metagenomics analysis, enrichment, and whole genome sequencing. Results: There was a high prevalence of Francisella species (76.7%) and co-occurrence of Francisella species and spotted fever group Rickettsia (50.6%) in the tick species Hyalomma rufipes. Two H. rufipes yielded putative positive test results for the human pathogen F. tularensis during initial screening. Metagenomics analysis revealed presence of Francisella sp., Rickettsia sp., and Midichloria sp. DNA in the two H. rufipes ticks. The levels of Rickettsia and Midichloria DNA were relatively high while the level of Francisella DNA was low and required enrichment for the construction of metagenome-assembled genomes. Phylogenetic inference and calculations of the average nucleotide identity (ANI) indicated that: i) the Francisella genomes belonged

Here we report the first detection and confirmation of Powassan virus (POWV) (family: Flaviridae) in Ixodes scapularis ticks collected from Appalachian Virginia. Ixodes scapularis ticks were collected from vegetation across field sites in eight counties of western Virginia from June 2019 to April 2021. From these collections, one nymph and one adult male I. scapularis were determined to be positive for POWV using real-time RT-PCR and Sanger sequencing. Both positive ticks were collected from Floyd county, VA, at residential sites; the nymph in June 2020 and the adult male in April 2021. The presence of POWV in Virginia in its natural tick vector is crucial knowledge in beginning to understand the movement and transmission of this pathogen into new geographical areas and the risk it poses to medical and veterinary health.

Ticks are the second most important vector capable of transmitting diseases affecting the health of both humans and animals. Amblyomma testudinarium Koch 1844 (Acari: Ixodidae), is a hard tick species having a wide geographic distribution in Asia. In this study, we analyzed the composition of A. testudinarium whole mitogenomes from various geographical regions in Japan and investigated the population structure, demographic patterns, and phylogeographic relationship with other ixodid species. In addition, we characterized a potentially novel tick species closely related to A. testudinarium from Myanmar. Phylogeographic inference and evolutionary dynamics based on the 15 mitochondrial coding genes supported that A. testudinarium population in Japan is resolved into a star-like haplogroup and suggested a distinct population structure of A. testudinarium from Amami island in Kyushu region. Correlation analysis using Mantel test statistics showed that no significant correlation was observed between the genetic and geographic distances calculated between the A. testudinarium population from different localities in Japan. Finally, demographic analyses, including mismatch analysis and Tajima's D test, suggested a possibility of recent population expansion occurred within Japanese haplogroup after a bottleneck event. Although A. testudinarium has been considered widespread and common in East and Southeast Asia, the current study suggested that potentially several cryptic Amblyomma spp. closely related to A. testudinarium are present in Asia.

The availability of data regarding population abundance and dynamics of ticks in wild vertebrate populations is crucial to understand the host-tick relationship and to assess the risk for domestic animals and humans from possible zoonotic diseases. In this study we analyse several host-intrinsic and environmental factors affecting the tick population of two sympatric hedgehog species (the European and the Algerian hedgehog) in two differently anthropized habitats in eastern Spain. We captured 215 hedgehogs and sampled 356 adult ticks of four different species (Rhipicephalus sanguineus, R. turanicus, R. bursa and R. pusillus). We analysed by General Linear Mixed Models how the hosts’ species, sex, capture month and site and their interactions affected tick presence and tick load. Further, we carried out Spearman correlation tests to analyse how environmental temperature and precipitation affect tick presence and load on hedgehogs. We found that, in general, male hedgehogs were more infested than females. However, the effects of the different factors depended on the tick species, especially related to their endophilic or exophilic character. High values of general tick infestation can be explained by the coincidence of tick activity peaks and higher male host activity levels, especially within areas with higher habitat diversity and species richness. We also discuss how the potential immunosuppressive effect of testosterone could be affecting our results. Our results show that in highly anthropized environments hedgehogs potentially act as important mixing vessels for tick-borne zoonotic pathogens and that monitoring ticks in periurban wildlife is important to assess potential health risks for pets and humans.

Ticks acquire a bloodmeal from vertebrate hosts, ranging from mammals to reptiles, and are regularly interacting with a variety of microbes via the bloodmeal host or environment. I set out to characterize ways in which ticks interact with a diverse set of organisms, spanning biological kingdoms.One focus of my work was venomous saliva from the tick Ixodes scapularis and its influence on multiple processes that are required for successful blood feeding from a variety of vertebrate hosts. Some of these processes include immune evasion through interference of the host’s defense system and protecting the tick from harmful microbes. I examined the activity of defensins, a family of antimicrobial peptides, found in tick salivary venom. Studies of tick saliva revealed that defensins are secreted into mice and protect ticks against microbes commonly found on the skin of their host. However, several observations point to a role for defensins that is independent of tick–microbe interactions. Through a collaborative effort, I identified a second, intriguing function where these defensins function as mast cell activators through an interaction with a G protein-coupled receptor, MRGPRX2. When ticks feed on mice missing an MRGPRX2 ortholog, they have a decrease in weight, suggesting that activation of this receptor benefits ticks during the feeding process. Another area I explored is the complicated interactions between Ixodes ticks and Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease. In order for ticks transmit B. burgdorferi, the bacteria must migrate from the tick’s midgut to the salivary glands. This migration process is poorly understood. My exploratory research summarized here suggests that this necessary migration of B. burgdorferi is a passive process facilitated by ticks expelling water during blood feeding. Another arm of exploratory research validated previous findings that serum from a common vertebrate host for I. pacificus, the western fence lizard Scelopo

Here we report the first detection and confirmation of Powassan virus (POWV) (family: Flaviridae) in Ixodes scapularis ticks collected from Appalachian Virginia. Ixodes scapularis ticks were collected from vegetation across field sites in eight counties of western Virginia from June 2019 to April 2021. From these collections, one nymph and one adult male I. scapularis were determined to be positive for POWV using real-time RT-PCR and Sanger sequencing. Both positive ticks were collected from Floyd county, VA, at residential sites; the nymph in June 2020 and the adult male in April 2021. The presence of POWV in Virginia in its natural tick vector is crucial knowledge in beginning to understand the movement and transmission of this pathogen into new geographical areas and the risk it poses to medical and veterinary health.

Introduction: The migratory behaviour of wild birds aids in the geographical spread of ticks and their microorganisms. Ticks are known to harbor both pathogenic and symbiotic bacteria - such as species of the genera Francisella, Rickettsia,and Midichloria - and multiple bacterial species may occur within them. Francisella occurs in different tick taxa andconsists of closely related pathogenic and non-pathogenic species. Spotted fever group Rickettsia are transmitted to humans by different tick genera and are emerging human pathogens in Europe. The aims of this study were to investigate dispersal of Francisella as well as co-occurrence of Francisella and spotted fever group Rickettsia in ticks infesting northward migrating birds in the African-Western Palaearctic region. Materials and methods: Birds were trapped using mist nets at bird observatories in Spain, Italy, Greece, and Israel during their spring migration of 2014 and 2015. Ticks were screened for the genus Francisella, the species Francisella tularensis, and spotted fever group Rickettsia by microfluidic qPCR. Ticks with putative positive results for F. tularensiswere subjected to confirmation analyses, metagenomics analysis, enrichment, and whole genome sequencing. Results: There was a high prevalence of Francisella species (76.7%) and co-occurrence of Francisella species and spotted fever group Rickettsia (50.6%) in the tick species Hyalomma rufipes. Two H. rufipes yielded putative positive test results for the human pathogen F. tularensis during initial screening. Metagenomics analysis revealed presence of Francisella sp., Rickettsia sp., and Midichloria sp. DNA in the two H. rufipes ticks. The levels of Rickettsia and Midichloria DNA were relatively high while the level of Francisella DNA was low and required enrichment for the construction of metagenome-assembled genomes. Phylogenetic inference and calculations of the average nucleotide identity (ANI) indicated that: i) the Francisella genomes belonged

Introduction: The migratory behaviour of wild birds aids in the geographical spread of ticks and their microorganisms. Ticks are known to harbor both pathogenic and symbiotic bacteria - such as species of the genera Francisella, Rickettsia,and Midichloria - and multiple bacterial species may occur within them. Francisella occurs in different tick taxa andconsists of closely related pathogenic and non-pathogenic species. Spotted fever group Rickettsia are transmitted to humans by different tick genera and are emerging human pathogens in Europe. The aims of this study were to investigate dispersal of Francisella as well as co-occurrence of Francisella and spotted fever group Rickettsia in ticks infesting northward migrating birds in the African-Western Palaearctic region. Materials and methods: Birds were trapped using mist nets at bird observatories in Spain, Italy, Greece, and Israel during their spring migration of 2014 and 2015. Ticks were screened for the genus Francisella, the species Francisella tularensis, and spotted fever group Rickettsia by microfluidic qPCR. Ticks with putative positive results for F. tularensiswere subjected to confirmation analyses, metagenomics analysis, enrichment, and whole genome sequencing. Results: There was a high prevalence of Francisella species (76.7%) and co-occurrence of Francisella species and spotted fever group Rickettsia (50.6%) in the tick species Hyalomma rufipes. Two H. rufipes yielded putative positive test results for the human pathogen F. tularensis during initial screening. Metagenomics analysis revealed presence of Francisella sp., Rickettsia sp., and Midichloria sp. DNA in the two H. rufipes ticks. The levels of Rickettsia and Midichloria DNA were relatively high while the level of Francisella DNA was low and required enrichment for the construction of metagenome-assembled genomes. Phylogenetic inference and calculations of the average nucleotide identity (ANI) indicated that: i) the Francisella genomes belonged