Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2026

08:23
Feeding of Ticks on Animals for Transmission and Xenodiagnosis in Lyme Disease Research
Published on: August 31, 2013
13.2K
Editorial: ticks & tick-borne parasites and diseases
Ala E Tabor1,2
1The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture & Food Innovation, Centre for Animal Science, 80 Carmody Road, St. Lucia 4072, Queensland, Australia.
Parasitology
|November 24, 2024
Summary
This Special Issue explores diverse tick research, including new species, evolution, vaccines, and disease transmission factors affecting global health. It highlights current trends in tick ecology and epidemiology.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Entomology
- Epidemiology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Ticks are significant vectors of diseases affecting humans, livestock, and wildlife globally.
- While over 900 tick species exist, about 10% are primary vectors for human and animal diseases.
Discussion:
- This Special Issue compiles 17 articles covering novel tick species, evolutionary concepts, vaccinology, disease transmission dynamics, and tick ecology.
- Research spans tick control, epidemiology, ecology, disease management, transmission, vaccine development, and descriptions of new tick species.
Key Insights:
- The collection features a diverse range of topics, from tick control strategies to the evolutionary history of ticks.
- Includes original research and review articles on tick-borne diseases and novel tick species, with global author contributions.
Outlook:
- The diverse research reflects the global complexity of tick-borne diseases and their hosts.
- Future research directions include advanced vaccinology and understanding factors influencing disease spread.
Related Concept Videos
Bacterial Phylum Spirochaetes
Spirochetes, unique bacteria in the phylum Spirochaetes, are gram-negative, motile, tightly coiled, slender, and flexible. They inhabit aquatic sediments and animals, with some causing diseases like syphilis. Spirochetes are classified into eight genera based on habitat, pathogenicity, phylogeny, and characteristics.Their distinctive motility arises from endoflagella, located within the cell’s periplasm. These endoflagella anchor at the cell poles and extend along the cell length, encased by a...
Infectious Diseases and Their Occurrence
Infectious diseases appear in populations through various transmission patterns, influenced by pathogen characteristics, population immunity, environmental conditions, and social behavior. Understanding these patterns is essential for effective public health surveillance and intervention. These categories—sporadic, outbreak, epidemic, pandemic, and endemic—help frame the nature and scope of disease events.Sporadic diseases occur irregularly and infrequently, without a predictable temporal or...
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) is a severe tick-borne illness caused by Rickettsia rickettsii, a Gram-negative, coccobacillary bacterium. This pathogen is an obligate intracellular parasite, requiring a host cell for replication. Transmission occurs through the bite of an infected tick. In the United States, the most important vectors are Dermacentor variabilis (American dog tick) and Dermacentor andersoni (Rocky Mountain wood tick), though other tick species may also serve as vectors.
Toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis, a zoonotic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, poses significant public health challenges globally due to its high seroprevalence and varied clinical manifestations. As an obligate intracellular parasite, T. gondii can infect all warm-blooded vertebrates, but felids are its only definitive hosts, shedding unsporulated oocysts into the environment. Humans typically acquire the infection through ingestion of tissue cysts in undercooked meat or oocysts from...
American Trypanosomiasis
Chagas disease, or American trypanosomiasis, is a vector-borne parasitic infection caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, a flagellated protozoan (kinetoplastid) of the family Trypanosomatidae. The disease is endemic in Latin America, although cases are increasingly reported worldwide due to human migration. Transmission most commonly occurs when feces of infected triatomine bugs contaminate bite wounds or mucosal surfaces; additional routes include congenital, transfusional, transplant-related, and oral...
Giardiasis
Giardiasis is a globally prevalent intestinal infection caused by the protozoan parasite Giardia duodenalis (also known as G. lamblia or G. intestinalis). This flagellated protozoan is the most frequently identified intestinal parasite in the United States and worldwide. Transmission primarily occurs via the fecal-oral route, with infection arising from ingestion of water or food contaminated with cysts. Individuals in low-resource settings, international travelers, outdoor enthusiasts, daycare...

