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J Parasit Dis 2018 Dec 15;42(4):643-645. Epub 2018 Oct 15.

2Veterinary Clinical Complex, Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (LUVAS), Hisar, Haryana India.

A 5 years old crossbred cow was brought to the Veterinary Clinical Complex of Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Hisar with history of progressive weakness, pale mucous membrane, anorexia, high fever (105 °F), tachycardia, laboured breathing and coffee coloured urine. Analysis of haematological parameters revealed severe anaemia, leucocytopenia, marked poikilocytosis of erythrocytes. Blood smear examination showed presence of signet ring shaped organisms, piroplasms and condensed dot forms of in the stained erythrocytes. Read More

Ann Neurol 2018 Dec 10. Epub 2018 Dec 10.

Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology and Pathology, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, USA.

Lyme Borreliosis is the object of numerous misconceptions. In this review, we revisit the fundamental manifestations of neuroborreliosis (meningitis and cranial and radiculoneuritis) as these have withstood the test of time. We also discuss other manifestations that are less frequent. Read More

Front Vet Sci 2018 23;5:293. Epub 2018 Nov 23.

Laboratório de Imunoparasitologia, Departamento de Patologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Universidade Estadual Paulista (FCAV/UNESP), Jaboticabal, Brazil.

Recently, the incidence and awareness of tick-borne diseases in humans and animals have increased due to several factors, which in association favor the chances of contact among wild animals and their ectoparasites, domestic animals and humans. Wild and domestic carnivores are considered the primary source of tick-borne zoonotic agents to humans. Among emergent tick-borne pathogens, agents belonging to family Anaplasmataceae (Order Rickettsiales) agents stand out due their worldwide distribution and zoonotic potential. Read More

J Ethnopharmacol 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Biomedical Research Center, Institute of Virology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 05 Bratislava, Slovakia.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Essential oils and essential oil bearing medicinal and culinary plants have a long tradition of being used to combat infection, treat various conditions, and promote and restore health. Mint oils are traditionally applied to repel insects and treat various conditions including wounds, skin infections, inflammation, eczema, urticaria, psoriasis, scabies and insect bites. They are among essential oils promoted as a natural way to prevent tick-borne diseases and recommended as ingredients in various homemade repellent mixtures and tick-bite treatments. Read More

Med Mal Infect 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Aix Marseille université, IRD, SSA, VITROME, IHU-Méditerranée Infection, AP-HM, 13005 Marseille, France.

Lyme disease is a tick-borne bacterial disease with polymorphic clinical manifestations (cutaneous, rheumatological, and neurological). In recent years the issue of the diagnosis of this infection has been highly publicized on the Internet and other media in Europe and America. Some patients and physicians may share the perception that the diagnosis of the infection is not reliable in France. Read More

Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol 2018 9;11:561-569. Epub 2018 Nov 9.

IGeneX Laboratories, Palo Alto, CA, USA.

Background: Morgellons disease (MD) is a skin condition associated with Lyme disease (LD) and tick-borne illness. Patients with this skin disorder experience ulcerative lesions that contain multicolored filamentous collagen and keratin inclusions. Infection with various species of and other tick-borne pathogens has been detected in tissue and body fluid specimens from MD patients. Read More

Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2018 Nov 27. Epub 2018 Nov 27.

Campus de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Yucatán, Mexico.

Twenty-five white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus yucatanensis) (WTD), 4 mazama deer (Mazama temama) (MD), and the ticks they host in Yucatan, Mexico were sampled to run a molecular survey for tick-borne rickettsial agents. The prevalence of rickettsial agents was 20% in WTD (5/25) and 50% in MD (2/4). When sequencing the nested PCR products, E. Read More

Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2018 Nov 27. Epub 2018 Nov 27.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States. Electronic address:

The hard tick-borne relapsing fever spirochete, Borrelia miyamotoi, has recently gained attention as a cause of human illness, but fundamental aspects of its enzootic maintenance are still poorly understood. Challenges to experimental studies with B. miyamotoi-infected vector ticks include low prevalence of infection in field-collected ticks and seemingly inefficient horizontal transmission from infected immunocompetent rodents to feeding ticks. Read More

Top Companion Anim Med 2018 Dec 13;33(4):114-118. Epub 2018 Sep 13.

Assay R&D, IDEXX Laboratories Inc, Westbrook, ME, USA. Electronic address:

Vector-borne agents comprise medically important infections affecting dogs throughout much of the world. Sensitive detection of antibodies directed at tick-borne disease-causing organisms in dogs is diagnostically important for veterinarians, pets and their owners, and epidemiologically important for public health surveillance. The SNAP 4Dx Plus Test (IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. Read More

Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2018 Nov 13. Epub 2018 Nov 13.

United Graduate School of Agricultural Science and Veterinary Science, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan; Department of Virology 1, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan.

Ehrlichiosis is a tick-borne bacterial disease caused by pathogens of the Ehrlichia genus. Although human ehrlichiosis has not been reported in Japan, Ehrlichia spp., which are closely related to Ehrlichia chaffeensis, were detected in several species of ixodid ticks. Read More

Pharmacy (Basel) 2018 Nov 29;6(4). Epub 2018 Nov 29.

Community Pharmacy Centre, Department of Ambulatory Care and Community Medicine, University of Lausanne, CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland.

This review presents the Swiss strategy initiated over the last several years to implement vaccination by community pharmacists. National health authorities aimed to integrate community pharmacists in the National Vaccination Strategy (NVS) in order to increase the vaccination rate in the Swiss population. To support this aim, universities and the Swiss Association of Pharmacists developed pre- and post-graduate education programmes on vaccination for pharmacists. Read More

J Med Entomol 2018 Dec 4. Epub 2018 Dec 4.

Department of Biology, California State University, Fresno, Fresno, CA.

Tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF) is a potentially serious vector-borne disease endemic to the western United States. Vector surveillance is compromised by the nidicolous life history of the three Ornithodoros species that transmit TBRF to people in this region. Large-scale stationary trapping methods were developed to survey a wide geographical range of Ornithodoros spp. Read More

Parasit Vectors 2018 Dec 4;11(1):620. Epub 2018 Dec 4.

Division of Medical Microbiology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.

Background: "Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis" is a gram-negative bacterium belonging to the family Anaplasmataceae that, in Europe, is transmitted by Ixodes ricinus ticks. "Candidatus N. mikurensis" can cause a severe systemic inflammatory syndrome, neoehrlichiosis, mostly in persons with other underlying diseases. Read More

Parasit Vectors 2018 Dec 4;11(1):621. Epub 2018 Dec 4.

Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, UK.

Background: Landscape structure can affect pathogen prevalence and persistence with consequences for human and animal health. Few studies have examined how reservoir host species traits may interact with landscape structure to alter pathogen communities and dynamics. Using a landscape of islands and mainland sites we investigated how natural landscape fragmentation affects the prevalence and persistence of the zoonotic tick-borne pathogen complex Borrelia burgdorferi (sensu lato), which causes Lyme borreliosis. Read More

J Virol Methods 2018 Dec 1;264:51-54. Epub 2018 Dec 1.

Spiez Laboratory, Federal Office for Civil Protection, Austrasse, 3700, Spiez, Switzerland. Electronic address:

Working in accordance with biosafety level four practices is highly complex and time-consuming. Therefore, the respective laboratory protocols should be as uniform as possible, simple to perform and straightforward in readout. Here we describe the successful application of a standardized 24-well plate focus assay protocol for the titration of Zaire ebolavirus (two isolates), Marburg virus (three isolates), Lassa virus (two isolates), Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (one isolate), and tick-borne encephalitis virus (two isolates). Read More

J Vet Intern Med 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Research and Scholarship Team, McLaughlin Library, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

Background: Lyme borreliosis, a tick-borne disease, is endemic to some parts of North America and is an emerging disease in other parts of the world. Vaccination is an increasingly common, although controversial, method used in the prevention of Lyme disease in dogs; the reported efficacies of Borrelia burgdorferi vaccines in dogs are highly variable, ranging from 50% to 100%.

Objectives: To determine the efficacy of vaccines for prevention of Lyme disease in dogs in North America. Read More

Int J Infect Dis 2018 Nov 27. Epub 2018 Nov 27.

Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Medicine, Department of public health, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China; Zhoushan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Health Risk Factors for Seafood, Zhoushan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province, China. Electronic address:

Objectives: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging tick-borne infectious disease caused by severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome visus (SFTSV). Both seroprevalence of anti-SFTSV antibodies specific to SFTSV (IgG or IgM) in differences animal hosts had been investigated in many epidemiological studies without systemic estimated. Hence, we conducted a meta-analysis reaching a more comprehensive result to clarify prevalence of SFTSV in animals. Read More

Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova 2018 ;118(10):97-107

Federal State Autonomous Institution 'National Medical Research Center for Neurosurgery named after Academician N.N. Burdenko' of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia.

Antihypoxic, antioxidant and nootropic effects of mexidol contribute to the improvement of patients with cerebrovascular pathology. The results of clinical studies show that the sequential scheme of using mexidol (first i.v. Read More

Am J Trop Med Hyg 2018 Nov 29. Epub 2018 Nov 29.

Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado.

Reported cases of vector-borne diseases in the United States have more than tripled since 2004, characterized by steadily increasing incidence of tick-borne diseases and sporadic outbreaks of domestic and invasive mosquito-borne diseases. An effective public health response to these trends relies on public health surveillance and laboratory systems, proven prevention and mitigation measures, scalable capacity to implement these measures, sensitive and specific diagnostics, and effective therapeutics. However, significant obstacles hinder successful implementation of these public health strategies. Read More

J Vet Intern Med 2018 Nov 29. Epub 2018 Nov 29.

Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas.

Background: Vector-borne diseases have an adverse impact on health of dogs, and infected dogs can be sentinels for human infection. Infection with Trypanosoma cruzi, an agent of Chagas disease, causes fatal heart disease in dogs across the southern United States but has been neglected from wide-scale prevalence studies.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of exposure to T. Read More

Exp Appl Acarol 2018 Nov 28. Epub 2018 Nov 28.

Collaborative Innovation Center for the Origin and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Taishan Medical University, Taian, 271016, Shandong, China.

Haemaphysalis longicornis (Acari: Ixodidae) is an important vector tick that is widely distributed around the world. In many regions, this tick acts as vector of a wide range of pathogens to humans and animals, and its control is mainly based on the use of chemical pesticides. However, the occurrence of some adverse effects, such as tick resistance to pesticides and food and environmental contamination, are driving the need to develop more effective and environmentally sound approaches to control and prevent ticks. Read More

Med Vet Entomol 2018 Nov 28. Epub 2018 Nov 28.

Laboratório de Hantaviroses e Rickettsioses, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.

Knowledge about ticks (Acari) and screening of ticks parasitizing various hosts are necessary to understand the epidemiology of tick-borne pathogens. The objective of this study was to investigate tick infestations on snakes (Reptilia: Squamata: Serpentes) arriving at the serpentarium at the Institute Vital Brazil, Rio de Janeiro. Some of the identified ticks were individually tested for the presence of bacteria of the genera Rickettsia (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae), Borrelia (Spirochaetales: Spirochaetaceae), Coxiella (Legionellales: Coxiellaceae), Bartonella (Rhizobiales: Bartonellaceae), Ehrlichia (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae), Anaplasma (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae), and Apicomplexa protozoa of the genera Babesia (Piroplasmida: Babesiidae) and Hepatozoon (Eucoccidiorida: Hepatozoidae). Read More

Emerg Microbes Infect 2018 Nov 28;7(1):189. Epub 2018 Nov 28.

Biodiversity Unit, University of Turku, FI-20014, Turku, Finland.

Ticks (Acari: Ixodoidea) are among the most common vectors of zoonotic pathogens worldwide. While research on tick-borne pathogens is abundant, few studies have thoroughly investigated small-scale spatial differences in their occurrence. Here, we used long-term cloth-dragging data of Ixodes ricinus and its associated, known and putative pathogens (Borrelia burgdorferi s. Read More

J Math Biol 2018 Nov 26. Epub 2018 Nov 26.

Department of Mathematics, Shanghai Maritime University, Shanghai, 201306, China.

Ixodid ticks are acknowledged as one of the most important hematophagous arthropods because of their ability in transmitting a variety of tick-borne diseases. Mathematical models have been developed, based on emerging knowledge about tick ecology, pathogen epidemiology and their interface, to understand tick population dynamics and tick-borne diseases spread patterns. However, no serious effort has been made to model and assess the impact of host immunity triggered by tick feeding on the distribution of the tick population according to tick stages and on tick population extinction and persistence. Read More

Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2018 Nov 16. Epub 2018 Nov 16.

Division of Molecular Pathobiology, Research Center for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan; Global Institution for Collaborative Research and Education (GI-CoRE), Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan; Department of Disease Control, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia; Global Virus Network, Baltimore, USA.

Recent discoveries of tick-borne pathogens have raised public health concerns on tick-borne infectious diseases and emphasize the need to assess potential risks of unrecognized tick-borne pathogens. First, to determine the existence of tick-borne phleboviruses (TBPVs), genetic surveillance of phleboviruses in ticks was conducted mainly in Hokkaido, the northernmost island in Japan from 2013 to 2015. Genes of two TBPVs, previously reported as Mukawa virus (MKWV) and a newly identified relative of MKWV, Kuriyama virus (KURV), were detected and the viruses were isolated from Ixodes persulcatus collected in Hokkaido, but not in I. Read More

J Travel Med 2018 Nov 22. Epub 2018 Nov 22.

Department of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Medical Center of the University of Munich, Munich, Germany.

Background: While the worldwide endemicity of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) has been increasing, a lack of awareness of the risks of this life-threatening disease may be leading to an underutilization of preventive measures among travellers to TBE-endemic regions. This study's objectives were to assess travellers' awareness of TBE and advice-seeking attitudes, and to evaluate practices of travel clinics regarding pre-travel advice.

Methods: We used an online questionnaire to identify individuals aged 18-65 years residing in the UK, Germany, Canada and Sweden, who had travelled to TBE-endemic countries between 2013 and 2016. Read More

Can J Infect Dis Med Microbiol 2018 24;2018:5719081. Epub 2018 Oct 24.

Carnegie Mellon University, Heinz College, 4800 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA, USA.

Lyme disease (LD) is the most common tick-borne disease in North America. It is caused by and transmitted to humans by blacklegged ticks, The life cycle of the LD vector, , usually takes two to three years to complete and goes through three stages, all of which are dependent on environmental factors. Increases in daily average temperatures, a manifestation of climate change, might have contributed to an increase in tick abundance via higher rates of tick survival. Read More

Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2018 Nov 13. Epub 2018 Nov 13.

Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Animal Health Department, Veterinary Faculty, Extremadura University, 10071, Cáceres, Spain.

Two haemoparasites, Theileria equi and Babesia caballi, cause equine piroplasmosis (EP), one of the most prevalent tick-borne diseases in horses. The main aim of the present study was to develop and evaluate a multinested PCR (mn-PCR) for simultaneous detection of the equine piroplasmids T. equi and B. Read More

Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2018 Oct 31. Epub 2018 Oct 31.

Universidad Autónoma de Cd. Juárez (UACJ), Av. Plutarco Elias Calles 1210, Cd. Juárez, Chihuahua, 32310, Mexico. Electronic address:

Workers at veterinary clinics are exposed to zoonotic pathogens, which, though infrequently, can lead to serious consequences. The aim of the present study was to estimate the seroprevalence for rickettsial pathogens in veterinary clinic personnel in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico. Voluntary participants included 106 veterinarians, 19 pet groomers, 36 veterinary assistants and 6 administrative workers who supplied blood samples taken by venipuncture. Read More

Travel Med Infect Dis 2018 Nov - Dec;26:5-6. Epub 2018 Nov 22.

TravelMedCenter Leonding, Austria; Labor Hannover MVZ GmbH, Germany. Electronic address:

Brain Behav 2018 Nov 22:e01160. Epub 2018 Nov 22.

Department of Infectious Diseases and Neuroinfections, Medical University of Białystok, Białystok, Poland.

Introduction: The aim of this study was the assessment of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and S-100 concentration in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in patients with different clinical forms of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE).

Material And Methods: The serum and CFS concentrations of S100B and NSE of 43 patients with TBE were measured with ELISA method using commercial kits: NSE and S100B Elisa Kit (DRG, Germany). Subjects were divided into: Group I-patients with meningoencephalitis (n = 17) and Group II-patients with meningitis (n = 26). Read More

Vet Parasitol 2018 Nov 11. Epub 2018 Nov 11.

Zoetis, Veterinary Medicine Research and Development, Kalamazoo, MI 49007, USA.

Cytauxzoonosis, caused by infection with Cytauxzoon felis, is the most severe tick-borne disease of cats. The purpose of our study was to determine the efficacy of selamectin (6.0 mg/kg) plus sarolaner (1. Read More

J Biol Chem 2018 Nov 21. Epub 2018 Nov 21.

Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, United States.

Human babesiosis is an emerging tick-borne disease caused by apicomplexan parasites of the genus Clinical cases caused by have been associated with high parasite burden, severe pathology and death. In both mice and hamsters, the parasite causes uncontrolled fulminant infections, which ultimately lead to death. Resolving these infections requires knowledge of biology, virulence, and susceptibility to anti-infectives, but little is known and further research is hindered by a lack of relevant model systems. Read More

Clinics (Sao Paulo) 2018 Nov 14;73:e394. Epub 2018 Nov 14.

Reumatologia, Hospital das Clinicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, BR.

Baggio-Yoshinari syndrome is an emerging, tick-borne, infectious disease recently discovered in Brazil. This syndrome is similar to Lyme disease, which is common in the United States of America, Europe and Asia; however, Brazilian borreliosis diverges from the disease observed in the Northern Hemisphere in its epidemiological, microbiological, laboratory and clinical characteristics. Polymerase chain reaction procedures showed that Baggio-Yoshinari syndrome is caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto spirochete. Read More

J Pharm Pharm Sci 2018 ;21(1):429-436

Public Health Institute, Liverpool John Moore's University, Liverpool L32ET, United Kingdom.

Purpose: Lyme disease has become an increasingly important global public health concern.

Method: A narrative review was conducted and designed to present a broad perspective on Lyme disease, and describe its history and development in terms of clinical care and public health implications. A structured literature search was conducted based on the question; what is currently known about Lyme disease?

Results: The narrative review is presented in chronological order in terms of a summary of the history of Lyme disease, the complexities of clinical diagnosis, the problematic interpretation of serologic testing, the conflicting guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and management of chronic Lyme, and benefits of antibiotic treatment. Read More

Parasit Vectors 2018 Nov 20;11(1):600. Epub 2018 Nov 20.

Centre for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands.

Background: Elucidating which wildlife species significantly contribute to the maintenance of Ixodes ricinus populations and the enzootic cycles of the pathogens they transmit is imperative in understanding the driving forces behind the emergence of tick-borne diseases. Here, we aimed to quantify the relative contribution of four mustelid species in the life-cycles of I. ricinus and Borrelia burgdorferi (sensu lato) in forested areas and to investigate their role in the transmission of other tick-borne pathogens. Read More

Parasitol Int 2018 Nov 17;69:47-53. Epub 2018 Nov 17.

National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan. Electronic address:

Anaplasma ovis is a tick-borne obligate intracellular rickettsial bacterium that causes anaplasmosis in domestic and wild small ruminants. Sheep and goats, whose combined population is approximately 48.5-million in Mongolia, play a vital role in the country's economy. Read More

Emerg Infect Dis 2018 Dec;24(12):2348-2351

During 2004-2011, we collected green lizards and Ixodes ricinus ticks in Slovak Karst National Park in Slovakia; 90% (36/40) of lizards and 37% of ticks removed from lizards were infected with family Anaplasmataceae bacteria. Only Candidatus Cryptoplasma sp. REP (reptile) was identified in these samples. Read More

Emerg Infect Dis 2018 Dec;24(12):2356-2359

Surveillance to investigate the wildlife-vector transmission cycle of the human pathogen Borrelia miyamotoi in California, USA, revealed infections in dusky-footed woodrats, brush mice, and California mice. Phylogenetic analyses suggest a single, well-supported clade of B. miyamotoi is circulating in California. Read More

Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 2018 Nov 19. Epub 2018 Nov 19.

University Hospital "Dr. Jose Eleuterio Gonzalez", Department of Dermatology, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Av. Madero y Gonzalitos s/n, Colonia Mitras Centro, 64460, Monterrey, NL, Mexico.

Lyme disease (borreliosis) is one of the most common vector-borne diseases worldwide. Its incidence and geographic expansion has been steadily increasing in the last decades. Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, a heterogeneous group of which three genospecies have been systematically associated to Lyme disease: B. Read More

Prev Med Rep 2019 Mar 13;13:16-22. Epub 2018 Nov 13.

EPPI-Centre, UCL Institute of Education, University College London, London, UK.

Lyme disease (LD) is an infection transferred to humans through bites from infected ticks. Surveillance indicates that the number of LD cases is increasing in the UK, therefore, improved knowledge about reducing transmission from ticks to humans is needed. Eighteen electronic databases were searched and additional web-based searching was conducted, to locate empirical research, published from 2002 onwards. Read More

Pol J Vet Sci 2018 Jun;21(2):415-417

Department of Genetics, University of Szczecin, Felczaka 3C, 71-412 Szczecin, Poland.

The bacterial species Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Rickettsia helvetica are pathogenic for humans and domestic animals and are transmitted by ticks, e.g., of the Ixodes genus. Read More

Int J Parasitol 2018 Nov 15. Epub 2018 Nov 15.

Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York City, NY 10027, USA. Electronic address:

The nymph of the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis), the primary North American vector of the causative agent of Lyme disease, must attach to a host by the end of its questing season in order to feed and subsequently molt into an adult. The proper timing of this behavior is critical both for the tick's survival and for perpetuating the transmission of tick-borne pathogens. Questing also depletes limited nymphal lipid reserves and increases desiccation risk. Read More

Zoonoses Public Health 2018 Nov 16. Epub 2018 Nov 16.

Department of Neurology and Stroke, Neurology Clinics, Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, Germany.

Background: Online activity-based epidemiological surveillance and forecasting is getting more and more attention. To date, Google search volumes have not been assessed for forecasting of tick-borne diseases. Thus, we performed an analysis of forecasting of the Lyme disease incidence based on the traditional data extended with Google Trends. Read More

Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2018 Nov 3. Epub 2018 Nov 3.

Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, 1200 Amsterdam Ave., 10027 New York, NY, United States. Electronic address:

An inverse relationship between biodiversity and human health has been termed the 'dilution effect' paradigm. In the case of tick-borne infections such as Lyme disease, the key assumption is that Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato abundance is increased by the loss of less competent (dilution) hosts as biodiversity declines. White-tailed deer play a dual role in the pathogen cycle, as key reproductive hosts for adult ticks and incompetent hosts for the pathogen. Read More

Travel Med Infect Dis 2018 Nov - Dec;26:3-4. Epub 2018 Nov 14.

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.

Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2018 Oct 26. Epub 2018 Oct 26.

Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Center of Experimental Embryology and Reproductive Biotechnology, Moscow, Russian Federation.

Anaplasma marginale is an intraerythrocytic tick-borne rickettsial pathogen that causes bovine anaplasmosis, an economically important disease of cattle worldwide. Major surface protein MSP1α has been used as a stable marker in identifying geographical strains of A. marginale. Read More

Dtsch Med Wochenschr 2018 Nov 15;143(23):1714-1722. Epub 2018 Nov 15.

During the last 135 years, the average temperature in Germany has increased by 1.4 °C. By 2050, a further rise by 1. Read More

Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2018 Nov 15. Epub 2018 Nov 15.

1 State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology , Beijing, China .

Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) can cause fever, headache, neurological disorders, and/or peripheral flaccid paralysis; therefore, it is a major threat to public health. A rapid, sensitive, and simple method for detecting anti-TBEV antibodies is needed urgently to determine infection and for vaccine evaluation. Here, a luciferase-based immunocomplex assay system (Luc-IC) was developed to detect TBEV antibodies. Read More

Parasit Vectors 2018 Nov 14;11(1):591. Epub 2018 Nov 14.

Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Frunze, 11, 630091, Novosibirsk, Russia.

Background: Species of Canidae in Russia can be infested with up to 24 different tick species; however, the frequency of different tick species infesting domestic dogs across Russia is not known. In addition, tick-borne disease risks for domestic dogs in Russia are not well quantified. The goal of this study was to conduct a nationwide survey of ticks collected from infested dogs admitted to veterinary clinics in Russian cities and to identify pathogens found in these ticks. Read More