{"title":"Surveillance of Emerging Rodent-Borne Pathogens in Wastewater in Taiwan: A One Health Approach.","authors":"Kun-Hsien Tsai, Tsai-Ying Yen, Hsin-Hsin Tung, Amy Ho, Yang-Ta Chien, Chung-Yu Wang, Shu-Wei Kang, Ning-Ning Juan, Fang-Ling Lin","doi":"10.3390/tropicalmed9110282","DOIUrl":"10.3390/tropicalmed9110282","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Leptospirosis and hantavirus syndrome are two major rodent-borne diseases in Taiwan. <i>Rocahepevirus ratii</i> (RHEV), a virus closely related to hepatitis E virus (HEV, <i>Paslahepevirus balayani</i>), is emerging and has been reported to cause hepatitis in humans. We employed wastewater-based epidemiology to actively monitor rodent-borne pathogens, and the correlations with human cases were evaluated. Wastewater was collected using grab sampling at 11 sites along a sewer system including influents and effluents at a wastewater treatment plant in Tamsui, New Taipei City, Taiwan, monthly during June 2023 to May 2024. The presence of pathogens was examined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The result showed an overall positivity rate of 38.2% (50/131). <i>Leptospira</i> was detected most often (48/131, 36.6%), and RHEV and hantaviruses were found once each during the study period. Sequencing identified <i>Leptospira interrogans</i> close to isolates from rodents and human cases, while sequences of hantavirus and RHEV were most similar to isolates from rodents. No significant correlation was found with human cases or positive samples for rodent DNA. Here, we present an example of a One Health approach applying wastewater to environmental surveillance for the early detection and prevention of emerging diseases.</p>","PeriodicalId":23330,"journal":{"name":"Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease","volume":"9 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11598759/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142731372","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Paola Muñoz-Laiton, Juan C Hernández-Valencia, Margarita M Correa
{"title":"Community Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices About Malaria: Insights from a Northwestern Colombian Endemic Locality.","authors":"Paola Muñoz-Laiton, Juan C Hernández-Valencia, Margarita M Correa","doi":"10.3390/tropicalmed9110281","DOIUrl":"10.3390/tropicalmed9110281","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Malaria prevention and control programs are mainly oriented to vector control, timely diagnosis and adequate treatment. Malaria transmission is influenced by several factors, including biological and social aspects. Thus, it is relevant to consider community beliefs and practices to ensure sustainable prevention and control strategies. This study aimed to determine knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) towards malaria in an endemic locality in northwestern Colombia. Preliminary data were collected through a focus group discussion. Subsequently, a KAP survey was administered to the community. KAP scores were associated with both sociodemographic characteristics and with previous malaria infection. Focus group data revealed knowledge gaps and the absence of or having worn-out nets. Survey results showed that participants recognized a mosquito bite as the transmission mode (72.09%), followed by dirty water (44.19%), high fever (86.05%) and headache (79.07%) as the main symptoms. Regarding attitudes, 44.19% of the people would go to the hospital in the case of having symptoms. The most recognized practices for disease prevention were the use of mosquito nets (65.12%) and fans (23.26%). The results showed that some people had misconceptions about the disease transmission mode. The analysis showed significant associations of either female gender and homemaker occupation with a good knowledge [OR = 3.74, (<i>p</i> = 0.04), OR = 3.55, (<i>p</i> = 0.04), respectively] or female with a positive attitude towards malaria control and prevention [OR = 4.80, (<i>p</i> = 0.04)]. These results showed that the identified gaps in KAP require increasing education among the community in addition to applying public health prevention efforts. The data may be useful in designing malaria control strategies that involve community participation.</p>","PeriodicalId":23330,"journal":{"name":"Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease","volume":"9 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11598121/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142732928","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Annie Sparrow, Meghan Smith-Torino, Samuel M Shamamba, Bisimwa Chirakarhula, Maranatha A Lwaboshi, Christine Stabell Benn, Konstantin Chumakov
{"title":"A Risk Management Approach to Global Pandemics of Infectious Disease and Anti-Microbial Resistance.","authors":"Annie Sparrow, Meghan Smith-Torino, Samuel M Shamamba, Bisimwa Chirakarhula, Maranatha A Lwaboshi, Christine Stabell Benn, Konstantin Chumakov","doi":"10.3390/tropicalmed9110280","DOIUrl":"10.3390/tropicalmed9110280","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Pandemics of infectious disease and growing anti-microbial resistance (AMR) pose major threats to global health, trade, and security. Conflict and climate change compound and accelerate these threats. The One Health approach recognizes the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health, but is grounded in the biomedical model, which reduces health to the absence of disease. Biomedical responses are insufficient to meet the challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic is the most recent example of the failure of this biomedical model to address global threats, the limitations of laboratory-based surveillance, and the exclusive focus on vaccination for disease control. This paper examines the current paradigm through the lens of polio and the global campaign to eradicate it, as well as other infectious threats including mpox and drug-resistant tuberculosis, particularly in the context of armed conflict. Decades before vaccines became widely available, public health measures-ventilation, chlorination, nutrition and sanitation- led to longer, healthier, and even taller lives. Chlorine, our primary tool of public health, conquered cholera and transformed infection control in hospitals. The World Health Organization (WHO), part of the One Health alliance, focuses mainly on antibiotics and vaccines to reduce deaths due to superbugs and largely ignores the critical role of chlorine to control water-borne diseases (including polio) and other infections. Moreover, the One Health approach ignores armed conflict. Contemporary wars are characterized by indiscriminate bombing of civilians, attacks targeting healthcare, mass displacement and lack of humanitarian access, conditions which drive polio outbreaks and incubate superbugs. We discuss the growing trend of attacks on healthcare and differentiate between types: community-driven attacks targeting vaccinators in regions like Pakistan, and state-sponsored attacks by governments such as those of Syria and Russia that weaponize healthcare to deliberately harm whole populations. Both fuel outbreaks of disease. These distinct motivations necessitate tailored responses, yet the WHO aggregates these attacks in a manner that hampers effective intervention. While antimicrobial resistance is predictable, the escalating pandemic is the consequence of our reliance on antibiotics and commitment to a biomedical model that now borders on pathological. Our analysis reveals the international indenture to the biomedical model as the basis of disease control is the root driver of AMR and vaccine-derived polio. The unique power of vaccines is reduced by vaccination-only strategy, and in fact breeds vaccine-derived polio. The non-specific effects of vaccines must be leveraged, and universal vaccination must be supplemented by international investment in water chlorination. This will reduce health costs and strengthen global health security. While vaccines are an important weapon to combat pandemics and AMR, they must ","PeriodicalId":23330,"journal":{"name":"Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease","volume":"9 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11598814/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142732838","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Chiadika Nwanze, Daniel Muller, Priscilla Suleman, Mrinmayee Takle, John R Barber, Kyle J Wilson, Nicholas A V Beare, Karl B Seydel, Douglas G Postels
{"title":"Severity of Vessel Color Changes and Macular and Peripheral Whitening in Malarial Retinopathy Are Associated with Higher Total Body and Sequestered Parasite Burdens.","authors":"Chiadika Nwanze, Daniel Muller, Priscilla Suleman, Mrinmayee Takle, John R Barber, Kyle J Wilson, Nicholas A V Beare, Karl B Seydel, Douglas G Postels","doi":"10.3390/tropicalmed9110279","DOIUrl":"10.3390/tropicalmed9110279","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Two-thirds of children with cerebral malaria (CM) exhibit retinopathy characterized by whitening, vessel color changes, and/or hemorrhages. The pathogenesis of malarial retinopathy is not fully understood. This study aimed to assess the relationship between malarial retinopathy and the severity of its components (macular whitening, retinal hemorrhages, and vessel color changes) with the total, circulating, or sequestered parasite load in children with CM. Total parasite burden was estimated by measuring plasma levels of Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein 2 (PfHRP2), while the sequestered load was calculated as the difference between the total burden and circulating parasitemia. Children with retinopathy-positive CM (n = 172) had higher total and sequestered parasite burdens compared to retinopathy-negative children (n = 42) (both <i>p</i> = 0.049). In a subgroup with detailed retinopathy grading (n = 52), more extensive vessel color changes correlated with higher total, sequestered, and circulating parasite loads (<i>p</i> = 0.0057, <i>p</i> = 0.0068, and <i>p</i> = 0.0433, respectively). Peripheral retinal whitening was also associated with increased total and sequestered loads (<i>p</i> = 0.0017 and <i>p</i> = 0.0012). No association was found between retinal hemorrhages and parasite burden, indicating that other factors may influence their pathogenesis.</p>","PeriodicalId":23330,"journal":{"name":"Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease","volume":"9 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11598592/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142733036","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Isabela C S Santos, Daniel M Avelar, Luciana F C Miranda, Cintia X de Mello, Lucas Keidel, Maria Inês F Pimentel, Luanna S Ventura, Aline Fagundes, Fernanda N Santos, Liliane F A Oliveira, Shanna A Santos, Sandro Antonio Pereira, Rodrigo C Menezes, Andreza P Marcelino
{"title":"Standardization and Evaluation of the LAMP Technique for the Diagnosis of Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis in Conjunctival Swab Samples Using DNA Extracted by a Silica Column and Boiling.","authors":"Isabela C S Santos, Daniel M Avelar, Luciana F C Miranda, Cintia X de Mello, Lucas Keidel, Maria Inês F Pimentel, Luanna S Ventura, Aline Fagundes, Fernanda N Santos, Liliane F A Oliveira, Shanna A Santos, Sandro Antonio Pereira, Rodrigo C Menezes, Andreza P Marcelino","doi":"10.3390/tropicalmed9110277","DOIUrl":"10.3390/tropicalmed9110277","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The diagnosis of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) presents a challenge due to a variety of non-specific clinical signs. The available tests have low sensitivity. This study aimed to standardize and evaluate the loop-mediated isothermal amplification technique with K26 target (K26-LAMP) for diagnosis of CVL in conjunctival swab (CS) DNA samples extracted through a silica column commercial kit (SW-kit) and boiling (SW-DB) and to compare sensitivity with conventional PCR (kDNA-cPCR) and quantitative real-time PCR (18S-qPCR). Clinical samples of CSs were collected from 54 dogs after reactive serology tests. Positive parasitological and/or histological tests were used as inclusion criteria for a sensitivity analysis. A total of 79.2% (43/54) of dogs without clinical signs or with mild, moderate, or severe clinical signs were included in the study. The sensitivity results of K26-LAMP, kDNA-cPCR, and 18S-qPCR were 72.1%, 81.4%, and 80.5% with the SW-kit and 97.2%, 95.2%, and 57.1% with SW-DB, respectively. In all techniques, the proportion of positives was higher in the group with severe clinical disease, with statistically significant differences in the K26-LAMP and 18S-qPCR techniques being seen with the SW-kit. The results obtained with LAMP for CS samples are promising and its performance is similar to other techniques.</p>","PeriodicalId":23330,"journal":{"name":"Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease","volume":"9 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11598160/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142733037","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Safety, Acceptability, and Feasibility of Single-Dose Rifampicin as Post-Exposure Chemoprophylaxis for Contacts of Leprosy Patients in Togo: A Mixed-Method Sequential Explanatory Study.","authors":"Akila Wimima Bakoubayi, Falapalaki Haliba, Wendpouiré Ida C Zida-Compaore, P'tanam P'kontème Bando, Yao Rodion Konu, Abissouwèssim Egbare Tchade, Kodjo Akpadja, Kamevor Alaglo, Maweke Tchalim, P'niwè Patchali, Yaovi Djakpa, Komi Amekuse, Piham Gnossike, Denis A Yawovi Gadah, Christa Kasang, Didier Koumavi Ekouevi","doi":"10.3390/tropicalmed9110276","DOIUrl":"10.3390/tropicalmed9110276","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The World Health Organization is encouraging countries to include contact screening and single-dose rifampicin administration as preventive chemotherapy for contacts of leprosy patients in their leprosy control activities. However, no study has been conducted to assess the safety of SDR-PEP and the acceptability and feasibility of this intervention in Togo. To assess the safety of SDR-PEP, we used a cohort design, and for acceptability and feasibility, we used a mixed method, combining a quantitative study to assess the safety of SDR-PEP in a cohort of contacts from recently diagnosed leprosy patients followed by a qualitative study to identify the social, cultural, or institutional factors that would influence the adoption of single-dose rifampicin as post-exposure prophylaxis for contacts of leprosy patients in Togo. For the quantitative study, all identified index patients agreed to the disclosure of their status to their contacts and provided a list of their contacts. All the contacts found agreed to take part in the study, and an appointment was made for screening. However, some contacts were absent on the screening day for no reason. All eligible contacts agreed to take SDR and were followed up after taking the drug. No severe adverse events were reported during the follow-up. For the qualitative study, 72 interviews (66 semi-structured interviews and 6 focus groups) were carried out, and it emerged that, overall, opinions were favorable on the acceptability and feasibility of implementing single-dose rifampicin as post-exposure prophylaxis for contacts of leprosy patients in Togo. However, a number of conditions need to be considered for more effective results.</p>","PeriodicalId":23330,"journal":{"name":"Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease","volume":"9 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11598167/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142732342","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
James Ayieko, Marguerite Thorp, Musie Ghebremichael
{"title":"Renewing Our Focus on Vulnerable Populations Among People Living with HIV.","authors":"James Ayieko, Marguerite Thorp, Musie Ghebremichael","doi":"10.3390/tropicalmed9110278","DOIUrl":"10.3390/tropicalmed9110278","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The global HIV landscape has changed over the past few decades, with great milestones achieved in both HIV treatment and prevention [...].</p>","PeriodicalId":23330,"journal":{"name":"Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease","volume":"9 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11598306/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142733035","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hong-Mei Li, Nicholas Midzi, Masceline Jenipher Mutsaka-Makuvaza, Zhi-Qiang Qin, Shan Lv, Shang Xia, Ying-Jun Qian, Robert Berquist, Xiao-Nong Zhou
{"title":"African Schistosomiasis: A Framework of Indicators Assessing the Transmission Risk and Intervention Effectiveness.","authors":"Hong-Mei Li, Nicholas Midzi, Masceline Jenipher Mutsaka-Makuvaza, Zhi-Qiang Qin, Shan Lv, Shang Xia, Ying-Jun Qian, Robert Berquist, Xiao-Nong Zhou","doi":"10.3390/tropicalmed9110275","DOIUrl":"10.3390/tropicalmed9110275","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease with a complex transmission mechanism, requiring a snail intermediate host, is influenced by biology, the environment, human behavior and the prevailing socioeconomic situation. This study aimed to systematically investigate the importance and feasibility of indicators related to the factors influencing transmission and intervention measures for <i>Schistosoma mansoni</i> and <i>S. haematobium</i>. Based on a literature review and group discussions according to the Delphi method, a framework questionnaire was designed. A total of 33 experts on schistosomiasis were invited, and 27 were accepted, to rate the importance and feasibility of indicators for transmission with and the control of schistosomiasis, with a focus on intervention measures for <i>S. mansoni</i> and <i>S. haematobium</i> infections in Zimbabwe. After two rounds of Delphi consultations with these experts, calculated to have a high average authority coefficient (0.88), a consensus was reached on a framework that included 2 primary, 6 secondary and 39 tertiary indicators. The Delphi-entropy method was applied to assess the weight of each indicator. The key influencing factors included hazardous water exposure, accessibility to safe drinking water, sanitary facilities and the contamination of water bodies by outdoor defecation/urinary habits. The intervention measures involved improved diagnostics, health education, preventive chemotherapy, the presence of national control plans and the implementation of the strategy on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). While these factors are already well known, their detailed order of importance could help to improve the allocation of specific control efforts.</p>","PeriodicalId":23330,"journal":{"name":"Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease","volume":"9 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11598198/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142732841","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Strengthening Tuberculosis Control Among Migrant Workers.","authors":"Saurabh RamBihariLal Shrivastava, Prateek Sudhakar Bobhate, Prithvi Brahmanand Petkar, Harshal Gajanan Mendhe, Gulshan Ruprao Bandre","doi":"10.3390/tropicalmed9110274","DOIUrl":"10.3390/tropicalmed9110274","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious infectious disease accounting for a significant number of deaths due to the infectious nature of the disease on the global platform. Migrant workers need special attention as these population groups live in substandard and crowded environmental conditions with poor ventilation, which play a crucial role in augmenting the risk of acquisition of infection. The global vision to ensure the delivery of effective TB control-related services for migrant workers has been influenced by a wide range of barriers. This issue is further complicated by the limited knowledge of migrant workers about tuberculosis, their rights, the kind of services available in healthcare facilities, and the ways to prevent the acquisition and transmission of infectious disease. By acknowledging the role of predisposing factors and the potential barriers that impact accessing timely healthcare services, it can be seen that the need of the hour is to plan and implement a comprehensive package of services for the benefit of migrant workers.</p>","PeriodicalId":23330,"journal":{"name":"Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease","volume":"9 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11598202/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142733038","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Raúl Contreras-Ferro, Jorge Martín Trueba, Patricia Sánchez-Mora, Raquel Escudero, María Paz Sánchez-Seco, Estrella Montero, Anabel Negredo, Luis Miguel González, Alejandro Dashti, María Teresa Llorente, Judit Gil-Zamorano, Ana Vázquez, Isabel Jado, David González-Barrio
{"title":"Why an Integrated Approach to Tick-Borne Pathogens (Bacterial, Viral, and Parasitic) Is Important in the Diagnosis of Clinical Cases.","authors":"Raúl Contreras-Ferro, Jorge Martín Trueba, Patricia Sánchez-Mora, Raquel Escudero, María Paz Sánchez-Seco, Estrella Montero, Anabel Negredo, Luis Miguel González, Alejandro Dashti, María Teresa Llorente, Judit Gil-Zamorano, Ana Vázquez, Isabel Jado, David González-Barrio","doi":"10.3390/tropicalmed9110272","DOIUrl":"10.3390/tropicalmed9110272","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Tick-borne diseases have emerged as a major global public health problem in recent decades. The increasing incidence and geographical dissemination of these diseases requires the implementation of robust surveillance systems to monitor their prevalence, distribution, and public health impact. It is therefore not unexpected that tick-borne pathogens coexist in the same vectors, but the interactions of these agents between vectors and vertebrate hosts, including humans, remain poorly understood. The impact of infection in humans extends to the diagnostic challenges that arise when the same symptomatology can be associated with any tick-borne pathogen, and therapeutic recommendations only focus on the major or best-known tick-borne diseases, ignoring other lesser-known or less prevalent infections. Both surveillance systems and the holistic diagnosis of tick-borne pathogens are necessary tools to address the emergence of vector-borne diseases. In this study, we will focus on the main tick-borne viral, bacterial, and parasitic diseases in Spain to reflect the need to establish syndromic diagnostics in samples from patients with a history of tick bites and symptomatology compatible with them. On the other hand, and highlighting this need, innovations in molecular techniques, syndromic surveillance, and surveillance programs for ticks and tick-borne pathogens with public health implications are expected to be developed.</p>","PeriodicalId":23330,"journal":{"name":"Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease","volume":"9 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11598257/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142732296","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}