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In spite of many decades of intensive research on Ixodes ricinus, the castor bean tick of Europe, several important aspects of its basic biology remain elusive, such as the factors determining seasonal development, tick abundance and host specificity, and the importance of water management. Additionally, there are more recent questions about the geographical diversity of tick genotypes and phenotypes, the role of migratory birds in the ecoepidemiology of I. ricinus, the importance of protective immune responses against I. ricinus, particularly in the context of vaccination, and the role of the microbiome in pathogen transmission. Without more detailed knowledge of these issues, it is difficult to assess the likely effects of changes in climate and biodiversity on tick distribution and activity, to predict potential risks arising from new and established tick populations and I. ricinus-borne pathogens, and to improve prevention and control measures. This review aims to discuss the most important outstanding questions against the backdrop of the current state of knowledge of this important tick species.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2021.101682 | DOI Listing |
J R Soc Interface
September 2025
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, UK.
Severe fever with thrombocytopaenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) was identified by the World Health Organization as a priority pathogen due to its high case-fatality rate in humans and rapid spread. It is maintained in nature through three transmission pathways: systemic, non-systemic and transovarial. Understanding the relative contributions of these transmission pathways is crucial for developing evidence-informed public health interventions to reduce its spillover risks to humans.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm J Trop Med Hyg
September 2025
Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
Haemaphysalis leporispalustris (the rabbit tick) is one of the most broadly distributed hard tick species in the Americas. In 2018, investigators amplified DNA from a spotted fever group Rickettsia (SFGR) species found in host-seeking larvae and nymphs of H. leporispalustris collected in northern California and proposed the name Candidatus "Rickettsia lanei" using results obtained via multilocus sequence typing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS Genet
September 2025
MIVEGEC, University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, France.
Cytoplasmic Incompatibility (CI) causes embryonic lethality in arthropods, resulting in a significant reduction in reproductive success. In most cases, this reproductive failure is driven by Wolbachia endosymbionts through their cifA/cifB gene pair, whose products disrupts arthropod DNA replication during embryogenesis. While a cif pair has been considered a hallmark of Wolbachia, its presence and functional significance in other bacterial lineages remains poorly investigated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMedicine (Baltimore)
September 2025
Department of Infectious Diseases, Third People's Hospital of Chengdu, Chengdu, China.
Rationale: Japanese spotted fever (JSF) is a rare tick-borne disease caused by Rickettsia japonica. Atypical manifestations and a lack of standardized diagnostic assays often result in delayed diagnosis and treatment, potentially leading to life-threatening complications.
Patient Concerns: A 57-year-old immunocompetent female from a region with no previously reported JSF cases presented with acute-onset high-grade fever (39.