Control of West Nile virus (WNV) can only be effective if the vectors and reservoirs of the virus are identified and controlled. Although mosquitoes are the primary vectors, WNV has repeatedly been isolated from ticks. Therefore, tick-borne transmission studies were performed with an ixodid (Ixodes ricinus) and an argasid tick species (Ornithodoros moubata). Both species became infected after f...

Despite its importance, our knowledge of pathogen transmission by ticks is incomplete. Detailed studies on the transmission, maintenance, infectivity, virulence, and pathogenicity of tick-borne microparasites all require the use of large numbers of live ticks raised under controlled conditions and difficulties in rearing ticks in the laboratory could partly explain the current lack of data. The...

The study was conducted to assess the prevalence of Theileria infection in Hyalomma tick vectors collected from cattle host to record the natural infection level of theilerial parasite in the field condition. A total of 174 male and 298 female of Hyalomma marginatum issaci ticks were collected from three districts Sunsari, Morang and Jhapa of Eastern Terai of Nepal during 2004-2005. These Hyalo...

Bartonella are hemoparasites exploiting a range of mammals as reservoir hosts. Several species are zoonotic pathogens. Fleas, lice, and other arthropods, such as ticks, have been implicated as vectors. While the competence of ticks as vectors of Bartonella species has recently been demonstrated, the epidemiological significance of ticks as vectors of Bartonella species in wildlife populations r...

Ticks are economically the most important pests of cattle and other domestic species in tropical and subtropical countries. They are the vectors of a number of pathogenic microorganisms including protozoans (babesiosis, theileriosis), rickettsiae (anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, typhus), viruses (e.g., Kyasanur Forest Disease reported from Karnataka State of India; Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever r...

Migratory birds are known to play a role as long-distance vectors for many microorganisms. To investigate whether this is true of rickettsial agents as well, we characterized tick infestation and gathered ticks from 13,260 migratory passerine birds in Sweden. A total of 1127 Ixodes spp. ticks were removed from these birds and the extracted DNA from 957 of them was available for analyses. The DN...

We identified ticks submitted by the public from 2008 through 2012 in Ontario, Canada, and tested blacklegged ticks Ixodes scapularis for Borrelia burgdorferi and Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Among the 18 species of ticks identified, I. scapularis, Dermacentor variabilis, Ixodes cookei and Amblyomma americanum represented 98.1% of the 14,369 ticks submitted. Rates of blacklegged tick submission p...

Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis (CNM; family Anaplasmataceae) was recently recognized as a potential tick-borne human pathogen. The presence of CNM in mammals, in host-seeking Ixodes ticks and in ticks attached to mammals and birds has been reported recently. We investigated the presence of CNM in ornithophagous ticks from migrating birds. A total of 1,150 ticks (582 nymphs, 548 larvae, 18 u...

ticks (acari: ixodidae) are obligatory blood feeders and important external parasites of wildlife, domestic animals and humans in tropical and subtropical areas. ticks primarily transmit different pathogenic organisms to livestock and humans, and secondly harm their animal hosts by decreasing blood protein content and nutrients due to partial exsanguinations, induce allergic reaction and someti...

In 1996-1998, a total of 2285 Ixodes ricinus ticks (1063 nymphs, 637 males, 585 females) were collected from vegetation from 25 different localities in the 8 Polish provinces throughout the country. Ticks inhabited all 25 collection sites. The average number of ticks per collection site was 91.4 +/- 13.7. All 2285 ticks were examined for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) presence, of which...