Tick-borne diseases in Europe: Current prevention, control tools and the promise of aptamers

In Europe, tick-borne diseases (TBDs) cause significant morbidity and mortality, affecting both human and animal health. Ticks can transmit a wide variety of pathogens (bacteria, viruses, and parasites) and feed on many vertebrate hosts. The incidence and public health burden of TBDs are tending to intensify in Europe due to various factors, mainly anthropogenic and often combined. Early detection of tick-borne pathogens (TBPs), preventive measures and treatment are of great importance to control TBDs and their expansion. However, there are various limitations in terms of the sensitivity and/or specificity of detection and prevention methods, and even in terms of feasibility. Aptamers are single-stranded DNA or RNA that could address these issues as they are able to bind with high affinity and specificity to a wide range of targets (e.g., proteins, small compounds, and cells) due to their unique three-dimensional structure. To date, aptamers have been selected against TBPs such as tick-borne encephalitis virus, Francisella tularensis, and Rickettsia typhi. These studies have demonstrated the benefits of aptamer-based assays for pathogen detection and medical diagnosis. In this review, we address the applications of aptamers to TBDs and discuss their potential for improving prevention measures (use of chemical acaricides, vaccination), diagnosis and therapeutic strategies to control TBDs.