About this Research Topic

Background

Ticks are the vector of a wide variety of infectious agents, such as spirochetes, protozoa, bacteria, and viruses. Tick-borne diseases are numerous and have a substantial impact on human and animal health. Traditionally, studies over the last decade have focused on the morphological identification of ticks, their life cycle, and the epidemiology of tick-borne pathogens. There has been a great deal of advancements in research focusing on the interactions of these pathogens with the vectors capable of transmission to a vertebrate host. However, no effective vaccines nor limited drugs are available at the present for ticks and tick-borne diseases. This Research Topic aims to contribute to a better understanding of the transmission of pathogen interactions between arthropod vectors and the vertebrate hosts.
The goal of this Research Topic is to explore the biological mechanisms involved in pathogens-tick and pathogens-host interactions. The complex transmission mechanisms of different pathogens are the main reason for the challenges in tick-borne disease prevention and control. Therefore, the identification and characterization of specific molecules is extremely important for the development of future vaccines against vector-borne diseases. This Research Topic welcomes manuscripts that focus on new strategies for the control and eradication of tick-borne diseases, including (but not limited to) the following topics:
• Omics analysis of tick and tick-borne diseases, including any of the ‘omics’-related research that lends insight into tick-pathogen relationships.
• Biomarkers discoveries for novel diagnostic strategies and effective tick-borne disease prevention.
• Research involving tick-animal and host-pathogens relationships and biological mechanisms related to ticks and tick-borne pathogens, including hard and soft ticks.
• Development of an animal host model to understand pathogen transmission from tick vectors.

Keywords: Tick, Pathogen-tick interactions, Pathogenesis, Molecular biology, Prevention

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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