Tick-borne diseases are considered one of the most serious health problems affecting animals and humans and causing great economic losses worldwide. Ticks can transmit a wide variety of pathogens to vertebrates including viruses, bacteria and protozoa.
Fighting against such diseases is done mainly at three levels: (i) vaccination, (ii) administration of antiparasitic drugs, and (iii) control of the transmitted vectors. Many tick-borne diseases have a huge economic impact in several countries and there are very few drug candidates in the pipeline. Searching for novel drugs against tick-borne diseases remains indispensable due to the emergence and spreading of resistant parasites against the very limited number of currently used drugs. In a similar way, several of the currently used drugs have exhibited toxicity to the host and possess serious side effects and a prolonged time for residue depletion from animal tissues.
Therefore, an innovative approach needs to be adopted to discover new effective drugs against tick-borne diseases. In this regard, a search inside the chemical libraries for novel potent candidates may help to populate this currently empty drug pipeline. Furthermore, novel drugs against tick-borne diseases with specified targets need to be identified and exploited.
This Research Topic aims to assess animal tick-borne diseases, current and emerging treatments, drug discovery, and analysis of potential drug targets. We welcome original research and review articles assessing, but not limited to, the following topics:
• Discovery of novel, effective and safe antiparasitic drugs for tick-borne diseases affecting animals.
• Investigations whether the pressures caused by currently used drugs or recently identified drugs against tick-borne diseases could induce parasite resistance.
• Searching for possible drugs against tick-borne disease targets and pathways.
Tick-borne diseases are considered one of the most serious health problems affecting animals and humans and causing great economic losses worldwide. Ticks can transmit a wide variety of pathogens to vertebrates including viruses, bacteria and protozoa.
Fighting against such diseases is done mainly at three levels: (i) vaccination, (ii) administration of antiparasitic drugs, and (iii) control of the transmitted vectors. Many tick-borne diseases have a huge economic impact in several countries and there are very few drug candidates in the pipeline. Searching for novel drugs against tick-borne diseases remains indispensable due to the emergence and spreading of resistant parasites against the very limited number of currently used drugs. In a similar way, several of the currently used drugs have exhibited toxicity to the host and possess serious side effects and a prolonged time for residue depletion from animal tissues.
Therefore, an innovative approach needs to be adopted to discover new effective drugs against tick-borne diseases. In this regard, a search inside the chemical libraries for novel potent candidates may help to populate this currently empty drug pipeline. Furthermore, novel drugs against tick-borne diseases with specified targets need to be identified and exploited.
This Research Topic aims to assess animal tick-borne diseases, current and emerging treatments, drug discovery, and analysis of potential drug targets. We welcome original research and review articles assessing, but not limited to, the following topics:
• Discovery of novel, effective and safe antiparasitic drugs for tick-borne diseases affecting animals.
• Investigations whether the pressures caused by currently used drugs or recently identified drugs against tick-borne diseases could induce parasite resistance.
• Searching for possible drugs against tick-borne disease targets and pathways.