Tick-associated diseases present challenges due to tridirectional interactions among host-specific responses, tick toxins and salivary proteins as well as microbes. We aimed to uncover molecular mechanisms in tick-bitten skin samples (cases) and contralateral skin samples (controls) collected simultaneously from the same participants, using spatial transcriptomics. Cases and controls analysed using NanoString GeoMx Digital Spatial Profiler identified 274 upregulated and 840 downregulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs), revealing perturbations in keratinization and immune system regulation. Samples of skin biopsies taken within 72 h post tick-bite DEGs had changes in protein metabolism and viral infection pathways as compared to samples taken 3 months post tick-bite, which instead displayed significant perturbations in several epigenetic regulatory pathways, highlighting the temporal nature of the host response following tick bites. Within-individual signatures distinguished tick-bitten samples from controls and identified between-individual signatures, offering promise for future biomarker discovery to guide prognosis and therapy.

Canine vector-borne diseases (CVBDs) comprise a group of infectious diseases caused by a wide range of pathogens transmitted by arthropod vectors. Clinical signs commonly involve symptoms such as fever, anorexia, weight loss, blood disorders, hepatosplenomegaly, and others that can lead to death in dogs with comorbidities. Some pathogens responsible for CVBDs constitute a serious threat to human health due to their zoonotic transmission. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of zoonotic vector-borne diseases (Rickettsia rickettsii, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Ehrlichia canis, Bartonella henselae, and Leishmania infantum) in domestic Sardinian dogs with and without clinical signs of these pathogens. Blood serum samples were collected from 142 dogs and examined through serological analysis. Clinical signs suggestive of these pathogens were also evaluated. The results obtained showed that 33 (33/140; 23.6%), 22 (22/134; 16.4%), 14 (14/142; 9.9%), 20 (20/66; 30.3%), and 26 (26/108; 24.1%) dogs were seropositive for Rickettsia sp., Anaplasma sp., Ehrlichia sp., Bartonella sp., and Leishmania sp. antibodies, respectively. Among these dogs, 12 dogs presented with at least one clinical sign (8.5%), while 18 (12.7%) showed more than two symptoms at the same time. Furthermore, among the asymptomatic dogs (93/142; 65.5%), 13% (n = 12) tested positive for A. phagocytophilum, 12% (n = 11) tested positive for B. henselae, 9% (n = 8) tested positive for E. canis, 12% (n = 11) tested positive for L. infantum, and 19% (n = 18) tested positive for R. rickettsii. This survey represents the first study assessing different canine vector-borne pathogens in dogs from North Sardinia. Since the pathogens detected here represent emerging zoonotic diseases, these results highlight the need to undertake further studies to increase the knowledge of these under-reported vector-borne pathogens in Sardinia.

The ornate dog tick Dermacentor reticulatus, vector of Babesia canis, has shown a considerable range expansion in several European countries. Previously, only few areas in Germany were recognised as endemic for B. canis, but a marked increase in autochthonous canine babesiosis cases and spread to new areas has been noted recently. To better assess the current risk for dogs, the present study screened 5913 specimens of D. reticulatus from all over Germany, collected in the frame of a Citizen Science study during 2019-2023. Moreover, 343 Dermacentor marginatus ticks were also included. Babesia detection was achieved by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). Positive samples were confirmed by sequencing. Moreover, a MGB-probe-based triplex qPCR was established to detect and distinguish between the canine Babesia spp. relevant in Europe, i.e. B. canis, Babesia vogeli and Babesia gibsoni. Overall, B. canis DNA was detected in five D. reticulatus specimens (0.08%). Two of the B. canis-positive ticks originated from areas previously known as endemic for canine babesiosis, namely from the area of Freiburg im Breisgau, federal state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, and from the district St. Wendel, federal state of Saarland. Three further B. canis-positive ticks were detected in districts not yet recognised as endemic, one each in the district of Mansfeld-Suedharz, federal state of Saxony-Anhalt, the district of Ravensburg, federal state of Baden-Wuerttemberg and in the city of Fürth, federal state of Bavaria. However, the tick in Fürth was found on a dog who had returned from a trip to the Breisgau region on the previous day, indicating translocation of the specimen out of this well-known endemic focus. The geographical distribution of the positive samples shows that B. canis is currently spreading in Germany, particularly via dogs travelling within the country, increasing the infection risk throughout the country. Important measures to contain a further spread of the pathogen include comprehensive year-round tick prophylaxis with licensed acaricides, not only to protect the individual pet, but also the entire dog population. Moreover, screening of dogs entering Germany from B. canis-endemic countries is required and any treatment should aim at pathogen elimination by use of appropriate imidocarb dosages.

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) is an emerging tick-borne virus with a mortality rate of up to 30%. First identified in China in 2009, it was later reported in other Asian countries, including Thailand in 2020. SFTSV has been detected in several tick species, including Rhipicephalus sanguineus, known for infesting dogs. We conducted a seroprevalence study of SFTSV in Bangkok and Nong Khai, Thailand, by analyzing 1162 human samples collected between 2019 and 2023. The testing method relied on IgG detection using ELISA and confirmed though a virus seroneutralization test. The results indicated that out of the participants, 12 (1.1%) tested positive for anti-SFTSV IgG antibodies; however, none exhibited positive results in the seroneutralization assay. Additionally, molecular detection of SFTSV, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), Coxiella spp., Bartonella spp., and Rickettsia spp. was performed on 433 Rh. sanguineus ticks collected from 49 dogs in 2023 in Chachoengsao Province, Thailand. No evidence of these pathogens was found in ticks. These findings highlight the importance of exploring viral cross-reactivity. Furthermore, it is important to conduct additional studies to isolate SFTSV from animals and ticks in order to identify the potential transmission routes contributing to human and animal infections in Thailand.

Hard ticks are known vectors of various pathogens, including the severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus, Rickettsia spp., Coxiella burnetii, Borrelia spp., Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Ehrlichia spp. This study aims to investigate the distribution and prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in southwestern Korea from 2019 to 2022. A total of 13,280 ticks were collected during the study period, with H. longicornis accounting for 86.1% of the collected ticks. H. flava, I. nipponensis and A. testudinarium comprised 9.4%, 3.6%, and 0.8% of the ticks, respectively. Among 983 pools tested, Rickettsia spp. (216 pools, 1.6% MIR) were the most prevalent pathogens across all tick species, with R. japonica and R. monacensis frequently detected in I. nipponensis and Haemaphysalis spp., respectively. Borrelia spp. (28 pools, 0.2% MIR) were predominantly detected in I. nipponensis (27 pools, 13.8% MIR, P < 0.001). Co-infections, mainly involving Rickettsia monacensis and Borrelia afzelii, were detected in I. nipponensis. Notably, this study identified R. monacensis for the first time in A. testudinarium in South Korea. These findings offer valuable insights into the tick population and associated pathogens in the region, underscoring the importance of tick-borne disease surveillance and prevention measures.

BACKGROUND: To answer to patients\' medical wandering, often due to \"unexplained symptoms\" of \"unexplained diseases\" and to misinformation, multidisciplinary care centers for suspected Lyme borreliosis (LB), such as the 5 Tick-Borne Diseases (TBDs) Reference Centers (TBD-RC), were created a few years ago in France, the Netherlands and Denmark. Our study consisted of a comprehensive analysis of the satisfaction of the patients managed at a TBD-RC for suspected LB in the context of scientific and social controversy.
METHODS: We included all adults who were admitted to one of the TBD-RC from 2017 to 2020. A telephone satisfaction survey was conducted 12 months after their first consultation. It consisted of 5 domains, including 2 free-text items: \"What points did you enjoy?\" and \"What would you like us to change or to improve?\". In the current study, the 2 free-items were analyzed with a qualitative method called reflexive thematic analysis within a semantic and latent approach.
RESULTS: The answer rate was 61.3% (349/569) and 97 distinctive codes from the 2-free-text items were identified and classified into five themes: (1) multidisciplinarity makes it possible to set up quality time dedicated to patients; (2) multidisciplinarity enables seamless carepaths despite the public hospital crisis compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic; (3) multidisciplinarity is defined as trust in the team\'s competences; (4) an ambivalent opinion and uncertainty are barriers to acceptance of the diagnosis, reflecting the strong influence of the controversy around LB; and (5) a lack of adapted communication about TBDs, their management, and ongoing research is present.
CONCLUSIONS: The multidisciplinary management for suspected LB seemed an answer to medical wandering for the majority of patients and helped avoid misinformation, enabling better patient-centered shared information and satisfaction, despite the context of controversy.

OBJECTIVE: Serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL), an indicator of neuronal damage, is increasingly recognized as a potential biomarker for disease activity in neurodegenerative disorders. In this study, we wanted to investigate sNfL as a prognostic marker in a large, well-defined population of 90 patients with Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB). In addition, we sought to explore associations between symptoms and sNfL levels during the acute phase of LNB.
METHODS: Patients diagnosed with definite or possible LNB were recruited from a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, multi-center trial, in which the participants were randomly assigned to 2 or 6 weeks of oral doxycycline treatment. The sNfL levels were measured using a single molecule array assay at both diagnosis and 6-month follow-up, and analysed against clinical parameters, variations in symptom burden and long-term complaints as assessed by a composite clinical score.
RESULTS: At the time of diagnosis, approximately 60% of the patients had elevated sNfL levels adjusted for age. Notably, mean sNfL levels were significantly higher at diagnosis (52 pg/ml) compared to 6 months after treatment (12 pg/ml, p < 0.001), when sNfL levels had normalized in the majority of patients. Patients with objective signs of spinal radiculitis had significantly higher baseline sNfL levels compared to patients without spinal radiculitis (p = 0.033).
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that sNfL can serve as a biomarker for peripheral nerve tissue involvement in the acute phase of LNB. As found in an earlier study, we confirm normalization of sNfL levels in blood after treatment. We found no prognostic value of acute-phase sNfL levels on patient outcome.

Beef cattle production in Portugal is an important sector of national agricultural production, with half of the herd being in the Alentejo region. Despite this, animal health is essential for its productivity, which may be compromised by ticks and tick-borne diseases. So far, no study has been conducted in Portugal to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) on ticks and tick-borne diseases in cattle, which the authors are aware of. This type of questionnaire is a very useful tool in the development and application of effective and sustainable prevention and control measures. Therefore, a KAP questionnaire was applied to 44 cattle breeders of autochthonous Portuguese breeds, namely 14 breeders of the Alentejana breed and 30 of the Mertolenga breed, between January 1 and May 9, 2023. Based on the analysis criteria of these surveys, 64% of the Alentejana breeders and 63% of the Mertolenga breeders have an average level of knowledge about ticks and tick-borne diseases, and 21% of the Alentejana breeders and 33% of the Mertolenga breeders have a high level of knowledge. Although only 21.4% of the Alentejana and 36.7% of the Mertolenga breeders consider tick infestation as a major animal health problem, 71.4% of the Alentejana and 63.3% of breeders of the Mertolenga state that one of the main reasons for veterinary consultations on their farm is deworming of animals, and 92.9% of breeders of the Alentejana and 96.7% of breeders of the Mertolenga refer the use of dewormers as a strategy to control tick infestation. The results of this study contribute to highlighting the importance of correcting some identified knowledge gaps and improving knowledge, especially on the life cycle of this parasite, its local distribution and seasonality, resistance to acaricides, and alternative control strategies.

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) represents a potential health threat for tourists in high-risk areas, including the Dolomite Mountains in northeastern Italy. The present questionnaire-based survey was, therefore, designed in order to assess knowledge, attitudes, and preventive practices (KAP) in a convenience sample of Italian tourists visiting the Dolomite Mountains, who were recruited through online discussion groups. A total of 942 participants (39.2% males, with 60.2% aged under 50) filled in the anonymous survey from 28 March 2023 to 20 June 2023. Overall, 24.1% of participants were vaccinated against TBE; 13.8% claimed to have previously had tick bites, but no cases of TBE were reported. The general understanding of TBE was relatively low; while 79.9% of participants acknowledged TBE as a potentially severe disease, its occurrence was acknowledged as high/rather high or very high in the Dolomites area by only 51.6% of respondents. Factors associated with the TBE vaccine were assessed by the calculation of adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals through a logistic regression analysis model. Living in areas considered at high risk for TBE (aOR 3.010, 95%CI 2.062-4.394), better knowledge on tick-borne disorders (aOR 1.515, 95%CI 1.071-2.142), high risk perception regarding tick-borne infections (aOR 2.566, 95%CI 1.806-3.646), a favorable attitude toward vaccinations (aOR 3.824, 95%CI 1.774-8.224), and a tick bite(s) in a previous season (aOR 5.479, 95%CI 3.582-8.382) were characterized as being positively associated with TBE vaccination uptake. Conversely, being <50 years old (aOR 0.646, 95%CI, 0.458-0.913) and with a higher risk perception regarding the TBE vaccine (aOR 0.541, 95%CI 0.379-0.772) were identified as the main barriers to vaccination. In summary, tourists to the high-risk area of the Dolomites largely underestimate the potential occurrence of TBE. Even though the uptake of the TBE vaccine in this research was in line with European data, public health communication on TBE is required in order to improve acceptance of this effective preventive option.

Objective: We aim to investigate the species composition of ticks and the pathogen characteristics they carry in the Argun port area of the China-Russia border. Materials and Methods: Ticks were collected in surrounding grassland, mixed forest land, and other different habitats around the Argun port area at the Sino-Russian Border of Inner Mongolia in China in April 2019. The presence of 16 potential pathogens, including Yersinia Pestis, Francisella tularensis, Coxiella burnetii (Cb), Anaplasma sp. (Ap), spotted fever group rickettsiae (SFG Rk), Borrelia sp. (Bl), Leptospira, Bartonella spp., Babesia, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, tick-borne encephalitis virus, Bhanja virus, West Nile Virus, severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome bunyavirus, Hantaan virus, and bocavirus (boca) was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction. The DNA and amino acid sequences of tick-borne pathogens were compared for homology, and the phylogenetic trees were constructed by using Mega and Lasergene software. Results: A total of 210 ticks were collected and they belonged to three species: Dermacentor nuttalli, Ixodes persulcatus, and Haemaphysalis verticalis. Among them, 165 (78.57%) ticks tested positive for 5 pathogens, namely Ap, SFG Rk, Cb, Bl, and boca. Fifteen (7.14%) ticks were detected coinfection with two pathogens, and none were coinfected with three or more pathogens. Conclusion: This study shows the prevalence of at least five tick-borne pathogens in Argun, and there is a risk of coinfection by two pathogens in one tick. This study reveals the great importance of controlling tick-borne diseases in this region.