Parasites & Vectors最新文献

{"title":"Unraveling the relationships between midge abundance and incidence, microbial communities, and soil and water properties in a protected natural tallgrass prairie.","authors":"Saraswoti Neupane, Travis Davis, Cassandra Olds, Dana Nayduch, Bethany L McGregor","doi":"10.1186/s13071-025-06780-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-025-06780-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Biting midges (Culicoides spp.) are small blood-feeding flies (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) that transmit numerous pathogens that impact animal and human health. The larvae of several Culicoides spp., including vectors, are often found in organically enriched, moist soil habitats. However, the influence of biotic (e.g., cohabiting fauna, potential prey taxa) and abiotic factors (e.g., soil or water properties, time) on abundance and incidence of larval Culicoides in natural habitats is not well understood. This study evaluated the relationships between bacterial and protistan communities, soil and water physicochemical properties, and the abundance and incidence of Culicoides species in larval habitats at the Konza Prairie Biological Station in Kansas.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Soil and water samples were collected monthly from March 2021 to February 2022 from four midge larval habitat sites, including three grazed (low-production cattle-grazed (LPCG), high-production cattle-grazed (HPCG), and bison-grazed sites) and one formally ungrazed (i.e., no managed large mammals) site. Midge incidence and abundance were evaluated using emergence assays, which assessed the number of adults emerging from collected soil samples, and bacterial and protistan communities in these samples were characterized through amplicon sequencing of the 16S and 18S rRNA genes. Physicochemical properties of water and soil were also analyzed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Irrespective of site, the highest midge abundance was reported in warmer months between March and September, except June. Moreover, the greatest midge abundance, incidence, and prevalence occurred at the HPCG and bison-grazed sites, which had a persistent water source. Specific lineages of bacterial and protistan communities, soil texture, organic matter, and total dissolved solids in water samples were directly associated with the abundance of Culicoides spp. that emerged from soil samples.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Both biotic (bacterial and protistan communities, presence of host animals), and abiotic (soil and water properties, season) factors affected the abundance and incidence of Culicoides spp. in natural habitats. The results presented in this study expand our understanding of the ecological and environmental factors influencing larval ecology of biting midges in natural developmental substrates. These insights have important implications for identifying potential developmental sites, which can be used for targeted management of Culicoides.</p>","PeriodicalId":19793,"journal":{"name":"Parasites & Vectors","volume":"18 1","pages":"146"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12009528/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144036512","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Are you ready for the tick season? Spring dynamic of tick diversity and density in urban and suburban areas.","authors":"Dagmara Wężyk, Dorota Dwużnik-Szarek, Maciej Kowalec, Szymon Biela, Kajetan Biernacki, Adrian Macion, Zofia Mencwel, Natalia Safarzynska, Liliana Sajnok, Weronika Słomka, Anna Bajer","doi":"10.1186/s13071-025-06793-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-025-06793-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Occurrence of tick-borne diseases (TBD) is often seasonal and associated with seasonal activity of appropriate tick vectors. As seasonal activity of ticks differs, the risk of contracting particular TBD should change between and within seasons. It is of key importance to monitor seasonal dynamic of tick vectors, especially in human-associated habitats. The aim of the current study was to compare activity and density of Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus during spring season in urban and suburban habitats.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Systematic tick collection by dragging was performed every 1-2 weeks between mid-March and mid-June 2021 at 15 sites: 6 in Warsaw (urban areas) and 9 in suburban areas.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>During 178 field collections of ticks, including 131 collections from urban sites and 47 collections from rural areas, 738 ticks (385 adult D. reticulatus and 353 I. ricinus) were collected. Dermacentor reticulatus ticks are found from the beginning of spring, peaking in April and May, and I. ricinus ticks are present from early April, peaking in April and May as well. I. ricinus were abundant in rural and urban areas, including botanical garden and forest kindergarten area. Dermacentor reticulatus were found in urban fallow lands but were not collected in parks. These ticks were abundant in fallow lands, meadow, and mixed forest. DNA of B. burgdorferi s.l. and Rickettsia spp. was identified in ticks from urban areas.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Due to the marked differences in spring dynamic of D. reticulatus and I. ricinus, the sampling effort should be repeated at least three times per season for accurate estimation of tick occurrence (presence/absence) and density. Due to \"exchange\" of tick species, total tick density remains high through the spring season of activity, which may result in high transmission of tick-borne pathogens (TBPs). Tick densities are dependent on the habitat type and may be low in well-managed agricultural habitats (crop fields, pastures, chicken yard), but high in semi-natural habitats (fallow lands, rural forests). Numerous I. ricinus populations can be maintained in urban green areas such as botanical gardens. Ticks from urban areas can serve as vectors of important TBPs (B. burgdorferi s.l., Rickettsia spp.).</p>","PeriodicalId":19793,"journal":{"name":"Parasites & Vectors","volume":"18 1","pages":"144"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12009520/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144026779","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tick-borne agents in the fowl tick Argas persicus from northwest and northeast China.","authors":"Junhua Tian, Jing Liu, Kun Li, Li Zhong, Miao Lu, Hai Jiang, Runda Jie, Xiao Wang, Bing Zhang","doi":"10.1186/s13071-025-06750-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-025-06750-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Although tick-borne agents have been extensively studied, etiological investigations on soft ticks are still relatively rare. In this study, we collected 114 Argas persicus ticks from two provinces (Xinjiang and Heilongjiang) located in northwest and northeast China, respectively, and screened them for tick-borne agents. Two Rickettsia species were identified in A. persicus ticks from Heilongjiang Province: Rickettsia hoogstraalii (27.3%, 18/66) and a previously unidentified species (12.2%, 8/66). The 16S rDNA, gltA, groEL, and ompB genes of the latter have 98.8%, 93.1%, 94.3%, and 91.2% nucleotide identities to reported species, suggesting that it represents a novel species. It belongs to the ancient group of Rickettsia and is located in the basal position of the phylogenetic trees. Additionally, Coxiella endosymbiont was detected in A. persicus ticks from both locations with 100% positive rates. Furthermore, the Coxiella endosymbionts from different locations form distinct phylogenetic groups, indicating that one tick species can harbor different Coxiella endosymbionts.</p>","PeriodicalId":19793,"journal":{"name":"Parasites & Vectors","volume":"18 1","pages":"145"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12009524/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144025483","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Collaborative engagement with vector control stakeholders is key to enhance the utility of vector-borne disease models.","authors":"H E Brown, E Wrench, K Wolfe, T C Moore, J A Tangena, L Sedda","doi":"10.1186/s13071-025-06751-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-025-06751-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Despite the growing complexity, computational power, and mapping capacity incorporated into vector-borne disease models, they still do not fully elucidate the role of environmental, demographic, socioeconomic, or other drivers, and rarely directly inform vector control efforts. To understand how we can improve the utility of vector-borne disease models for vector control activities, we interviewed vector control agents from the United States (USA) and the European Union.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Between July and December 2023, in-depth interviews were held using a geographically targeted convenience sample with 26 individuals from organizations involved in vector control operations: 12 in the USA and 14 in the EU. We used both deductive and inductive coding of transcribed interviews to identify themes with the goal of understanding barriers to model use and uptake.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Despite the recognition that models could be useful, few interviewees reported that models informed surveillance and control activities, citing a mismatch in spatial and temporal scale between model outputs and operational decisions or a general lack of accessibility. Interviewees reported relying on experienced field experts and legacy protocols. Despite these critiques, there is belief that models can support operational decision-making.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The disconnect between models and users can be improved by allowing time and resources to build collaborative relationships, by acknowledging the knowledge all members bring, and by ensuring clear communication and mutual respect. Modelers must shift their focus by aligning vector-borne disease models with operational needs.</p>","PeriodicalId":19793,"journal":{"name":"Parasites & Vectors","volume":"18 1","pages":"143"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12007198/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143993634","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Climate-driven variation in the phenology of juvenile Ixodes pacificus on lizard hosts.","authors":"Samantha Sambado, Amanda Sparkman, Andrea Swei, Andrew J MacDonald, Hillary S Young, Jordan Salomon, Arielle Crews, Kacie Ring, Stephanie Copeland, Cheryl J Briggs","doi":"10.1186/s13071-025-06749-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-025-06749-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Ectothermic arthropods, like ticks, are sensitive indicators of environmental changes, and their seasonality plays a critical role in the dynamics of tick-borne disease in a warming world. Juvenile tick phenology, which influences pathogen transmission, may vary across climates, with longer tick seasons in cooler climates potentially amplifying transmission. However, assessing juvenile tick phenology is challenging in arid climates because ticks spend less time seeking for blood meals (i.e. questing) due to desiccation pressures. As a result, traditional collection methods like dragging or flagging are less effective. To improve our understanding of juvenile tick seasonality across a latitudinal gradient, we examined Ixodes pacificus phenology on lizards, the primary juvenile tick host in California, and explored how climate factors influence phenological patterns.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Between 2013 and 2022, ticks were removed from 1527 lizards at 45 locations during peak tick season (March-June). Tick counts were categorized by life stage (larvae and nymphs) and linked with remotely sensed climate data, including monthly maximum temperature, specific humidity and Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI). Juvenile phenology metrics, including tick abundances on lizards, Julian date of peak mean abundance and temporal overlap between larval and nymphal populations, were analyzed along a latitudinal gradient. Generalized additive models (GAMs) were applied to assess climate-associated variation in juvenile abundance on lizards.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Mean tick abundance per lizard ranged from 0.17 to 47.21 across locations, with the highest abundance in the San Francisco Bay Area and lowest in Los Angeles, where more lizards had zero ticks attached. In the San Francisco Bay Area, peak nymphal abundance occurred 25 days earlier than peak larval abundance. Temporal overlap between larval and nymphal stages at a given location varied regionally, with northern areas showing higher overlap, possibly due to the bimodal seasonality of nymphs. We found that locations with higher temperatures and increased drought stress were linked to lower tick abundances, although the magnitude of these effects depended on regional location.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our study, which compiled 10 years of data, reveals significant regional variation in juvenile I. pacificus phenology across California, including differences in abundance, peak timing, and temporal overlap. These findings highlight the influence of local climate on tick seasonality, with implications for tick-borne disease dynamics in a changing climate.</p>","PeriodicalId":19793,"journal":{"name":"Parasites & Vectors","volume":"18 1","pages":"141"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12001419/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144030812","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Efficacy of an oral combination of afoxolaner and milbemycin oxime for the prevention of transmission of Babesia canis by Dermacentor reticulatus ticks to dogs.","authors":"Eric Tielemans, Carin Rautenbach, Alta Viljoen, Frederic Beugnet","doi":"10.1186/s13071-025-06787-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-025-06787-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Canine babesiosis is a tick-borne disease of significant veterinary importance in dogs. It is caused by Babesia canis in Europe, where it is transmitted by Dermacentor reticulatus ticks.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A blinded, randomized, good clinical practice (GCP) and negative control experimental study was conducted to verify the efficacy of NexGard Spectra® in reducing the transmission of B. canis by D. reticulatus to dogs. NexGard Spectra® (IVP) is an oral product for dogs combining afoxolaner, an acaricide/insecticide compound from the isoxazoline class, and milbemycin oxime, a nematicide compound from the macrocyclic lactone class. Three groups of eight dogs were used; one group orally treated on day 0 with the IVP at the minimum recommended dose and two untreated control groups. On day 1, dogs from the treated group and from control group 1 were infested with 50 D. reticulatus adult ticks of 50/50 sex ratio infected with B. canis at a 23% infection rate. On day 28, dogs from the treated group and from control group 2 were infested similarly to those on day 1. Ticks were removed 6 days after each infestation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Seven to nine days after each infestation, all untreated control dogs displayed clinical signs of canine babesiosis, i.e., lethargy, and/or dark urine, and/or > 39.5 °C rectal temperature. Blood was collected for microscopical blood smear examination, and for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. The blood smears from all untreated control dogs were positive for Babesia and all the PCR analyses were positive for B. canis. The control dogs were rescue treated. All control dogs were confirmed positive for B. canis by IFA on day 21 (control group 1) and on day 42 (control group 2). None of the IVP-treated dogs expressed any clinical sign of canine babesiosis following each of the two infestations of days 1 and 28 and until day 56. Blood was collected for IFA and PCR analyses from the treated dogs on days 21, 28, 42, and 56, and all results were negative.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>In this study, the antiparasitic treatment prevented the transmission of B. canis to dogs following induced infestations.</p>","PeriodicalId":19793,"journal":{"name":"Parasites & Vectors","volume":"18 1","pages":"142"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12001589/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144027740","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fourteen anti-tick vaccine targets are variably conserved in cattle fever ticks.","authors":"Joseph D Busch, Nathan E Stone, Grant L Pemberton, Mackenzie L Roberts, Rebekah E Turner, Natalie B Thornton, Jason W Sahl, Darrin Lemmer, Greta Buckmeier, Sara K Davis, Roberto I Guerrero-Solorio, Shahid Karim, Guilherme Klafke, Donald B Thomas, Pia U Olafson, Massaro Ueti, Juan Mosqueda, Glen A Scoles, David M Wagner","doi":"10.1186/s13071-025-06683-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-025-06683-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus causes significant cattle production losses worldwide because it transmits Babesia bovis and B. bigemina, the causative agents of bovine babesiosis. Control of these ticks has primarily relied on treatment of cattle with chemical acaricides, but frequent use, exacerbated by the one-host lifecycle of these ticks, has led to high-level resistance to multiple classes of acaricides. Consequently, new approaches for control, such as anti-tick vaccines, are critically important. Key to this approach is targeting highly conserved antigenic epitopes to reduce the risk of vaccine escape in heterologous tick populations.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We evaluated amino acid conservation within 14 tick proteins across 167 R. microplus collected from geographically diverse locations in the Americas and Pakistan using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplicon sequencing and in silico translation of exons.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We found that amino acid conservation varied considerably across these proteins. Only the voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) was fully conserved in all R. microplus samples (protein similarity 1.0). Four other proteins were highly conserved: the aquaporin RmAQP1 (0.989), vitellogenin receptor (0.985), serpin-1 (0.985), and subolesin (0.981). In contrast, the glycoprotein Bm86 was one of the least conserved (0.889). The Bm86 sequence used in the original Australian TickGARD vaccine carried many amino acid replacements compared with the R. microplus populations examined here, supporting the hypothesis that this vaccine target is not optimal for use in the Americas. By mapping amino acid replacements onto predicted three-dimensional (3D) protein models, we also identified amino acid changes within several small-peptide vaccines targeting portions of the aquaporin RmAQP2, chitinase, and Bm86.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings emphasize the importance of thoroughly analyzing protein variation within anti-tick vaccine targets across diverse tick populations before selecting candidate vaccine antigens. When considering protein conservation alone, RmAQP1, vitellogenin receptor, serpin-1, subolesin, and especially VDAC rank as high-priority anti-tick vaccine candidates for use in the Americas and perhaps globally.</p>","PeriodicalId":19793,"journal":{"name":"Parasites & Vectors","volume":"18 1","pages":"140"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12001435/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144008299","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Safety of Credelio Quattro™ (lotilaner, moxidectin, praziquantel, and pyrantel chewable tablets) in dogs infected with adult heartworms (Dirofilaria immitis).","authors":"Kari L Riggs, Deanna Haney, Scott Wiseman","doi":"10.1186/s13071-025-06732-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-025-06732-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Credelio Quattro (lotilaner, moxidectin, praziquantel, and pyrantel chewable tablets) is a novel endectocide for monthly oral administration in dogs. The safety of Credelio Quattro was investigated in dogs with pre-existing patent heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) infections. Heartworm preventive products are tested in heartworm-positive dogs as rapid microfilarial and adult worm death can lead to serious clinical reactions, including death.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This was a gender-stratified, randomized, placebo-controlled, blinded, parallel group design study. Prior to study, dogs were surgically implanted with 10 male and 10 female adult D. immitis worms (Georgia III isolate). After confirming a patent infection, dogs were randomized into three groups (placebo control, 1×, or 3× the maximum recommended labeled dose of Credelio Quattro) consisting of eight dogs each. Treatment was administered on three consecutive monthly occasions. The assessment of safety was based on body weight, physical examinations, clinical observations on the days of dosing, general health observations, microfilariae (MF) counts, and D. immitis antigen testing. On the last day of study, the heart, lungs, and pleural and peritoneal cavities were examined for adult D. immitis worms.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Credelio Quattro was well tolerated. Emesis occurred in the 3× group only. Diarrhea was observed in all groups at various times throughout the study. Owing to the timing of events relative to dosing, emesis and diarrhea were possibly related to treatment; however, all dogs recovered quickly and without treatment. No signs of avermectin toxicity or hypersensitivity reactions were observed in any dog. Compared with control, Credelio Quattro reduced the concentration of circulating MF on study day 1 by 38.8% for the 1× group and significantly reduced MF by 73.3% for the 3× group. MF reduction remained significant for both groups at all subsequent time points.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Credelio Quattro, when administered at 1× and 3× the maximum recommended label dose, was well tolerated following three consecutive monthly administrations to heartworm-positive dogs. Although Credelio Quattro caused a rapid reduction in microfilaria counts, no adverse effects related to microfilaria reduction were observed, and there was no effect on adult worms in this study.</p>","PeriodicalId":19793,"journal":{"name":"Parasites & Vectors","volume":"18 1","pages":"138"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11995583/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143992546","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"HL-TRP channel is required for various repellents for the parthenogenetic Haemaphysalis longicornis.","authors":"Ceyan Kuang, Jie Cao, Yongzhi Zhou, Houshuang Zhang, Yanan Wang, Jinlin Zhou","doi":"10.1186/s13071-025-06776-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-025-06776-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Ticks can transmit a wide range of pathogens that endanger human and animal health. Although repellents are commonly used for tick control, understanding their mechanisms aren't  complete.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The repellent effects of N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET); sec-butyl 2-(2-hydroxyethyl) piperidine-1-carboxylate (icaridin); N, N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (IR3535); and cinnamaldehyde on the parthenogenetic tick Haemaphysalis longicornis at the nymph stage were assessed using Y-tubes. The involvement of transient receptor potential (HL-TRP) channel molecules in the repellent mechanism was investigated through in situ hybridization, subcellular localization, real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR), RNA interference, and electroantennography. In addition, the binding affinity of HL-TRP molecules to repellents was predicted using AlphaFold3.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>DEET, icaridin, IR3535, and cinnamaldehyde have been shown to effectively repel nymphs. HL-TRP channel is shared among various arthropods, particularly several species of ticks. It is localized to the cell membrane and Haller's organ. Moreover, microinjection of double-stranded RNA elicited tick repellency behavior, and the electroantennogram responses to those repellents were significantly decreased. The TYR783 site was proposed as an essential binding site to establish hydrogen bonds with icaridin, DEET, and cinnamaldehyde.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This exploration of ticks and repellents found that HL-TRP channel functions as a chemosensory receptor for repellents and, thereby, mediates avoidance behavior.</p>","PeriodicalId":19793,"journal":{"name":"Parasites & Vectors","volume":"18 1","pages":"139"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11995592/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144014640","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Significance of vertical transmission of arboviruses in mosquito-borne disease epidemiology.","authors":"Oliver Chinonso Mbaoma, Stephanie Margarete Thomas, Carl Beierkuhnlein","doi":"10.1186/s13071-025-06761-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-025-06761-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mosquito-borne diseases (MBDs) are increasingly prevalent due to the resultant impact of global change with significant health and economic impacts worldwide. Dengue virus (DENV), chikungunya virus (CHIKV), Zika virus (ZIKV), yellow fever virus (YFV), Japanese encephalitis (JEV), and West Nile virus (WNV) transmitted by Aedes and Culex species have been identified as arboviruses of public health interest. The vertical transmission (VT) refers to the process where infected mosquitoes transmit viruses to their offspring; this has been often overlooked in MBD epidemiology. We conducted a systematic review to evaluate the role of VT in the occurrence, prevalence, and spread of MBDs, focusing on study types, mosquito species, and virus genera. In total, 73 studies from 2005 to 2024 relating to VT in the mosquito population were reviewed. Findings revealed the occurrence of VT across multiple mosquito species in natural and experimental settings, with significant variation in VT rates depending on vector species, virus genus, and study location. Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus, Aedes vexans, Culex pipiens, Culex tarsalis, and Culex quinquefasciatus were identified as mosquito species that support VT, while pathogens identified to be transmitted vertically were DENV, ZIKV, WNV, CHIKV, YFV, Sindbis virus (SINV), Ross River virus (RRV), and Mayaro virus (MAYV). VT rates were reported as minimum, and infection rate (MIR) varied across species, study type and location. Also, a high VT rate may precede a mosquito-borne disease outbreak. These findings indicate that VT, though often overlooked, contributes to the dynamics of MBD transmission and could influence disease outbreaks and endemism, especially under changing climatic conditions, highlighting the need for incorporating VT in mathematical models, experimental studies, and control strategies to understand dynamics of MBDs, given its potential role in sustaining arbovirus transmission and influencing outbreak dynamics.</p>","PeriodicalId":19793,"journal":{"name":"Parasites & Vectors","volume":"18 1","pages":"137"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11983947/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144041158","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}