Three Asian longhorned ticks (Haemaphysalis longicornis) were collected on Staten Island, Richmond County, New York, in 2014-2015 as part of a tick-borne disease surveillance program conducted by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Defense Centers of Public Health - Aberdeen Tick-Borne Disease Laboratory. These records mark the earliest known occurrence of H. longicornis in New York State outside of quarantine areas, predating previously reported detections by several years. Robust populations of H. longicornis were collected in subsequent years at the Staten Island site where these few ticks were found, demonstrating that small infestations have the potential to proliferate quickly. Haemaphysalis longicornis is a 3-host ixodid tick native to eastern Asia but now established in the United States, as well as Australasia and several Pacific islands. Although H. longicornis has not yet been associated with human disease transmission in the United States, it warrants attention as a potential vector, as it is demonstrated to harbor various pathogens of medical and veterinary interest across its native and introduced range.

The role of ixodid ticks especially Rhipicephalus sanguineus and Heamaphysalis elliptica in the epidemiology of several diseases of veterinary and public health importance have been documented. This study conducted a systematic review focusing on the distribution of R. sanguineus and H. elliptica, as well as the common tick-borne pathogens they harbour. The Scopus, ScienceDirect, PubMed, and Web of Science databases were used to search for English journal articles published between January 1990 and June 2021. The articles were assessed by following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. This systematic review was registered on PROSPERO [(ID no: CRD42022327372). Of the studies included in the systematic review, 247 and 19 articles had identified R. sanguineus and H. elliptica respectively, whereas 15 articles had identified both tick species. There is a reported worldwide distribution of R. sanguineus from 64 countries, whereas H. elliptica was only reported in the African continent from 6 countries. In total, 120 articles that were included in this systematic review reported detection of tick-borne pathogens from R. sanguineus (n = 118 articles) and/or H. elliptica (n = 2 articles) ticks. According to the studies tick-borne pathogens harboured by R. sanguineus included protozoa such as Babesia spp., Hepatozoon spp., Leishmania spp., and Theileria spp., as well as bacteria such as Acinetobacter spp. Anaplasma spp., Bacillus spp., Borrelia spp., Brucella spp., Coxiella spp., and Staphylococcus spp. The H. elliptica was reported to be harbouring Babesia spp., Ehrlichia spp. and Rickettsia spp. Most of the studies (50%) used the conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique for the detection of tick-borne pathogens, followed by real-time PCR (qPCR) (n = 26), and nested PCR (n = 22). This systematic review has shed light on the distribution of two common dog ticks as well as the tick-borne pathogens of veterinary and zoonotic importance they are harbouring. This data will enable surveillance studies that can report whether the distribution of these ticks and their associated tick-borne pathogens is expanding or shrinking or is stable.

Ticks are hematophagous ectoparasites associated with a wide range of vertebrate hosts. Within this group, the Ixodidae family stands out, in which the Ixodes genus contains at least 245 species worldwide, from which 55 species are present in the Neotropical region. Ixodes affinis, a tick described in 1899, has a wide distribution from the Southern Cone of America to the United States. However, since its description, morphological variability has been reported among its populations. Furthermore, attempts have been made to clarify its status as a species complex using mitochondrial markers, but mainly in restricted populations of South and Central America. Thus, information related to populations of the transition region between the Neotropical and Nearctic zones is lacking. For these reasons, the objectives of the study were to evaluate the genetic diversity and structure of I. affinis across the Americas and to compile all the published records of I. affinis in America, to elucidate the host-parasite relationships and to identify their geographical distribution. For this, a phylogeny, and AMOVA analyses were performed to assess the genetic structure of samples obtained by field work in South Carolina, USA and Yucatán, Mexico. A total of 86 sequences were retrieved from a fragment of the 16S region. Phylogeny and genetic structure analysis showed four groups that were geographically and genetically related with high branch support and Fst values, all of them statistically significant. The results obtained support the hypothesis that I. affinis it corresponds to a complex of four species, which must be validated through future morphological comparisons.

BACKGROUND: Arthropods parasites of bats play a crucial role in both ecological and public health contexts, as they have the potential to transmit zoonotic agents. The study aims to identify the distribution, and host-parasite associations of bat ectoparasites in the Grand Maghreb region (Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia), which has been largely understudied.
METHODS: A thorough analysis of published records was conducted and we included our own field data.
RESULTS: The checklist reveals a total of 43 ectoparasite species, encompassing a range of taxa. The list comprises 9 tick species, 11 mite species (including a chigger-mite), 11 bat fly species, 3 species of bugs, and 9 species of fleas. Extensive research efforts uncovered 141 host-parasite associations. Our data presents several new country records, documenting for the first time the presence of Carios vespertilionis and Raymondia huberi in Tunisia, Ixodes simplex and Spinturnix plecotinus in Algeria.
CONCLUSIONS: By compiling and analysing available information, we have provided for the first time an up-to-date checklist of bat ectoparasites and their host associations in the region. This knowledge contributes to a better understanding of the epidemiological implications associated with bat ectoparasites, emphasizing their ecological and public health importance. The study\'s findings call for continued investigations and monitoring of bat ectoparasites to mitigate potential risks and safeguard both human and animal populations.

OBJECTIVE: This comprehensive global meta-analysis reviews the parasitism levels of tick genera and species, life stages, seasonality, attachment sites, the global mean ranks of tick species parasitism rates and records, and their distribution and role as vectors.
METHODS: From the 418 papers identified, 390 papers were selected to become part of the study.
RESULTS: The genera recorded as infesting domestic ruminants were Rhipicephalus (42 species), Haemaphysalis (32 species), Hyalomma (19 species), Amblyomma (18 species), Ixodes (10 species), Dermacentor (8 species), Margaropus and Nosomma (1 species). Globally, domestic ruminants are more infested by adult females and males than by the nymphal and larval stages of the tick species. The global tick species parasitism levels at the attachment sites of domestic ruminants were, in order, tail and anal region, neck and dewlap, scrotum or udder, ear region, thigh and abdomen, and dorsal surface.
CONCLUSIONS: Among 131 species of eight genera of hard ticks recorded infesting domestic ruminants, 42 species had mean ranks of tick species parasitism rates up to 10%, and 37 species had mean ranks of tick species parasitism up to 10 records. Briefly, the higher the indexes of tick species parasitism rates and records, the more important their role as vectors. In addition, the majority of them are found among tick species-infested humans with nearly high ranks of tick species parasitism rates and records that double their medical, veterinary, and zoonotic importance to be the most common vectors and reservoirs of bacterial, protozoan, and viral pathogenic microorganisms, causing severe infectious diseases, and as a result, can be more dangerous to humans and domestic ruminants.

Globalization, increased frequency of travel, and a rise in legal and illegal animal trades can introduce exotic ticks into the United States. We herein report the importation of a male Rhipicephalus pulchellus (Gerstäcker) on a human traveler returning to Connecticut from Tanzania, Africa, and review historical importation records of this species into the United States. This common tick is broadly distributed throughout East Africa, from Eritrea to Tanzania, has a wide host range on domestic animals and wildlife, and has been most frequently introduced into the United States on tick-infested wild animal hosts and animal trophies, but documentation of importation on humans has been rare. Archival records at the United States Department of Agriculture\'s National Veterinary Services Laboratories show R. pulchellus has been introduced into the United States at least 40 times over the last 62 yr. Rhipicephalus pulchellus has been linked to Rickettsia conorii, the agent of boutonneuse fever in humans, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever orthonairovirus, and Nairobi sheep disease orthonairovirus. Given the potential for this exotic tick to introduce animal or human pathogens, proper surveillance, interception, identification, and reporting of these ticks are vital in protecting human and animal health.

Ticks are leading vectors of economically important pathogens that affect small ruminants due to favourable climatic conditions across different regions of the African continent. They are responsible for both direct and indirect economic losses in the livestock industry. This review focuses on the species diversity of hard ticks, their biology, tick-borne diseases of sheep and goats including non-infectious disease, and risk factors to tick infestation in Africa. Furthermore, our review provides recent updates on distribution of ticks and tick-borne pathogens of small ruminants in Africa. It was observed that several species and subspecies of hard ticks belonging to the genera Hyalomma (Hy), Rhipicephalus (Rh), Ixodes (I) and Amblyomma (Am) were found infesting small ruminants across the different regions of the continent. Of these genera, Rhipicephalus ticks accounts for the majority of the registered species, with exactly 27 different species infesting small ruminant stocks comprising of different developmental instars and adults of the tick. Rhipicephalus decolaratus, Rh. e. evertsi and Rh. appendiculatus were the three most common Rhipicephalus species reported. Both protozoal (Babesia and Theileria) and bacterial (Anaplasma, Rickettsia, Ehrlichia, Coxiella and Mycoplasma) pathogens have being reported to be amplified in several hard tick species and/or small ruminant hosts. Furthermore, tick paralysis and lameness were non-infectious conditions attributed to tick infestations. Amblyomma hebraeum and Rh. glabroscutatum may cause lameness in goats, while Hy. rufipes is responsible for the same condition in Merino sheep. Host paralysis due to a neurotoxin released by female Rh. e. evertsi and I. rubicundus has been documented within the continent. We therefore advocate for the need of integrated control measures against tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) including their arthropod vectors, to be performed simultaneously to ease the burden of vector-borne diseases in small ruminant production.

Expansion of ticks and tick-borne diseases is of increasing concern worldwide. To decrease the risk of ticks and tick-borne diseases to public health, understanding the mechanisms of their current distribution and future expansion is needed. Although tick distribution has been studied globally on continents and large islands that are inhabited by large mammals, less attention has been paid to remote islands. However, small islands are often important stopover sites for migratory birds that may contribute to long-distance dispersal of ticks. Therefore, islands would be a suitable system to rule out potential effects of mammals and to evaluate the contribution of birds to the expansion of ticks and tick-borne diseases. We collected questing ticks by dragging cloths over vegetation on Tobishima Island, northern Japan, in summer 2021, and conducted a literature search of the distribution and avian hosts of hard tick. We found several southern species of ticks (Haemaphysalis hystricis, H. formosensis, H. cornigera, Amblyomma testudinarium, and Dermacentor bellulus) on the island. These species have rarely or never been reported from the mainland of Japan at similar latitudes or higher, where large mammals are found. They are known vectors of tick-borne diseases, such as severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome. The present study suggests that migratory birds may contribute to the expansion of ticks and tick-borne diseases, and a remote island may function as a front line and/or a hub for their expansion. Evaluating tick fauna on remote islands used by migratory birds might be useful to monitor the expansion.

The genetic variability of apicomplexan parasite Babesia species is a principal strategy used by piroplasma to evade their hosts\' immune responses. The purpose of this review was to evaluate our current knowledge on global haplotype distribution and phylogeography of Babesia ovis derived from sheep, goat, horse and ixodid (hard) ticks. Bibliographic English databases were searched from 2017 to 2023, identifying a total of 11 publications. The 18S ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA) sequences of B. ovis from Asia, Europe, and Africa were retrieved and subjected to estimate the genetic diversity and phylogenetic assessment. A haplotype network indicated a total of 29 haplotypes being classified into two distinct geographical haplogroups I and II including Nigeria and Uganda-derived B. ovis isolates. A moderately high level of genetic diversity was characterized in sheep/tick-derived B. ovis isolates originating from Iraq (Haplotype diversity: 0.781) and Turkey (Hd: 0.841). Based on the cladistic phylogenetic tree, two geographically different lineages of A and B were genetically differentiated except for Turkish isolates, indicating haplotype migration occurred between various geographical clades. In addition, the topology of UPGMA tree indicated that B. ovis population has a distinct clade compared to the rest clades of ovine babesiosis (B. crassa and B. motasi). The present results strengthen our knowledge to evaluate the evolutionary paradigms and transmission dynamics of B. ovis in different regions of the world; also it will provide groundwork for public health policy to control ovine babesiosis.

OBJECTIVE: Progressive climate change plays a major role in the expansion of tick populations, as well as the transmission of tick-borne disease pathogens (TBPs) to humans and animals throughout the world. Zoonoses are a growing environmental problem of great importance for public health. In Poland, domestic dogs and cats are mainly infested by Ixodes ricinus, Ixodes crenulatus, Ixodes hexagonus, Ixodes rugicollis and Dermacentor reticulatus ticks from the Ixodidae family. Other tick species, such as I. apronophorus and Haemaphysalis concinna, recorded sporadically on domestic dogs or cats, may expand their range in the future and successfully infest pets. Individual cases of infestations in Poland with foreign tick species, such as Rhipicephalus sanguineus, are known and may soon be recorded more frequently.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review is to summarize the occurrence and identification of tick species and TBDs that are present or are likely to spread in Poland, which, given the medical and veterinary importance of ticks, may help in the development of public health strategies.
METHODS: A comprehensive literature review of publications and own research and data analysis was performed, obtained from reports and scientific descriptions on the epidemiology of tick-borne diseases.
UNASSIGNED: The ecology of ticks and hosts in urban and suburban environments is critical for quantifying the parameters necessary for an initial risk assessment, and identifying public health strategies to control and prevent TBDs. In the future, these species may expand their range of occurrence and their host, becoming common members of the Polish tick fauna.
CONCLUSIONS: Anaplasma, Babesia, Borrelia and Rickettsia spp. are the major TBPs in Poland, and their prevalence is usually higher in dogs than cats.