Prevention of tick-borne diseases: challenge to recent medicine

Abstract

Ticks represent important vectors and reservoirs of pathogens, causing a number of diseases in humans and animals, and significant damage to livestock every year. Modern research into protection against ticks and tick-borne diseases focuses mainly on the feeding stage, i.e. the period when ticks take their blood meal from their hosts during which pathogens are transmitted. Physiological functions in ticks, such as food intake, saliva production, reproduction, development, and others are under control of neuropeptides and peptide hormones which may be involved in pathogen transmission that cause Lyme borreliosis or tick-borne encephalitis. According to current knowledge, ticks are not reservoirs or vectors for the spread of COVID-19 disease. The search for new vaccination methods to protect against ticks and their transmissible pathogens is a challenge for current science in view of global changes, including the increasing migration of the human population. Highlights • Tick-borne diseases have an increasing incidence due to climate change and increased human migration • To date, there is no evidence of transmission of coronavirus COVID-19 by tick as a vector • To date, there are only a few modern, effective, and actively- used vaccines against ticks or tick-borne diseases • Neuropeptides and their receptors expressed in ticks may be potentially used for vaccine design

Current and Future Strategies for the Diagnosis and Treatment of the Alpha-Gal Syndrome (AGS)

“…14 Therefore, to follow the vaccinomics approach, it is essential to identify tick bioactive molecules and consequent signaling pathways that mediate tick-host-pathogen interactions. 137,138 For example, in a study by Mateos-Hernández et al, 47 tick sialome proteins, with or without α-Gal modifications, that led to a protective immune response and were recognized by AGS patients but not control individuals could serve as potential target antigen candidates for vaccine development. The identification of the poorly understood molecular mechanisms behind the development of spontaneous acquired tick resistance (ATR) is also of key importance as it could help in the search for new vaccine formulations.…”

An Evaluation of Hybridoma based Anti-tick Vaccine against H. Dromedarii Tick Infesting Camels

“…This increase in antibody titer was observed to continue for five consecutive weeks. The results demonstrate that the developed vaccine is highly effective in infested camels (Table 3) and may provide protection against every possible pathogen (Hromníková et al 2022). The controlled group had shown a steady increase in tick infestation resulting in persistent diverse humoral or immunological effects on the host body.…”

A Retrospective Study with a Commercial Vaccine against Lyme Borreliosis in Dogs Using Two Different Vaccination Schedules: Characterization of the Humoral Immune Response

“…The vaccination against LB, based on inactivated Bb sl-complex species expressing the OspA provides the most reliable protection against LB, as the vaccination not only protects against the development of disease but further protects against the transmission of Bb sl-complex species to the canine host [ 43 ]. However, it is crucial to vaccinate against the genospecies that lead to infections in the dogs’ geographical environment and to provide perennial protection by keeping antibody levels high enough [ 44 ].…”