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Ticks and the vast array of pathogens they transmit, including bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and helminths, constitute a growing burden for human and animal health worldwide. In Cuba, the major tropical island in the Caribbean, ticks are an important cause of vector-borne diseases affecting livestock production, pet animal health and, to a lesser extent, human health. The higher number of tick species in the country belong to the Argasidae family and, probably less known, is the presence of an autochthonous tick species in the island, Ixodes capromydis . Herein, we provide a comprehensive review of the ticks and tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) affecting animal and human health in Cuba. The review covers research results including ecophysiology of ticks, the epidemiology of TBPs, and the diagnostic tools used currently in the country for the surveillance of TBPs. We also introduce the programs implemented in the country for tick control and the biotechnology research applied to the development of anti-tick vaccines., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Four iron superoxide dismutase (SODI, SODII, SODIII, and SODIV) activities with pI values of 6.9, 6.8, 5.25, and 3.8, respectively, were isolated from epimastigote forms of the Maracay strain of Trypanosoma cruzi cultivated at 28 degrees C in Grace's medium supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum. The activity of SODe (pI 3.8), which coincides with that of SODIV, was detected in Grace's medium without serum in which T. cruzi epimastigotes were cultivated for 24 hours at 28 degrees C. SODe, which was excreted into the medium by the parasite, was immunogenic and antibodies to SODe were detected in serum to a dilution of 1:2,500 by Western blot. The role of SODe is related to the establishment of the parasite within the host, and its high immunogenicity and specificity make it a useful molecular marker in diagnosing infection with this parasite. To validate a Western blot result using SODe as a antigen fraction, 1,029 sera of individuals from 11 municipalities in the state of Queretaro, Mexico were analyzed. Sampling was done randomly and results were compared with those for the same sera with three conventional serologic methods: an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), indirect hemagglutination (IHA), and an indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) to detect antibodies to T. cruzi SODe. Samples that were positive by these three techniques were also positive by the Western blot method. The seroprevalence values for SODe (8.16% by ELISA and Western blot) in Queretaro were considerably higher than those reported in regions of Mexico considered to be endemic for Chagas disease. These results support the use of SODe in the serodiagnosis of Chagas disease.