Tick-Borne Diseases in Turkey: A Review Based on One Health Perspective

Abstract

The importance of tick-borne diseases is increasing all over the world, including Turkey. Global warming, environmental and ecological changes and the existence of suitable habitats increase the impact of ticks and result in frequent emergence or re-emergence of tick-borne diseases (TBDs) with zoonotic characteristics. In Turkey, almost 19 TBDs have been reported in animals and men, involving four protozoa (babesiosis, theileriosis, cytauxzoonosis, hepatozoonosis), one filarial nematode (acanthocheilonemasis), ten bacterial agents (anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, aegyptianellosis, tick-borne typhus, Candidatus Rickettsia vini, Lyme borreliosis, tick-borne relapsing fever [TBRF], tularaemia, bartonellosis, and hemoplasmosis), and four viral infections (tick-borne encephalitis [TBE], Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever [CCHF], louping-ill [LI], and lumpy skin disease [LSD]). The growing number of TBD cases, in particular the fatal viral epidemics in humans, have led to increased public awareness and concern against TBDs in recent years. The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed a new political concept, called the “One Health” initiative, which is especially relevant for developing strategies against tick infestations and TBD control in humans and animals. It would be beneficial for Turkey to adopt this new strategy and establish specific research and control programs in coordination with international organizations like WHO, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) to combat TBDs based on the “One Health Initiative” concept. In this article, we review the occurrence of primary TBDs in man and animals in Turkey in light of the “One Health” perspective.

Overview of Zoonotic Diseases in Turkey: The One Health Concept and Future Threats

“…A total of 47 tick species (38 ixodid and 9 argasid) have also been reported in the last century in Turkey (10), and these zoonotic diseases have a significant impact on the livestock industry of the country (26,29,30).…”

“…The infection is prevalent in a large endemic area of Asia and Europe, including Turkey. In Turkey, the seropositivity of the infection was reported in the range 1.4%-20.5% (10).…”

“…Zoonotic infections also result in great economic losses (5,7) and could be one of the major reasons of poverty (6)(7)(8). The public health impact and financial consequences of these diseases can devastate the already overburdened economic conditions in developing countries as well as in Turkey (9,10). Over the last decade, the global economic impact of zoonotic diseases has been estimated as more than $220 billion ($20 billion from direct costs and $200 billion from indirect losses) (11,12).…”

“…Turkey has a population of over 80 million and a livestock population of over 50 million, and its economic structure currently depends on a mix of industrial and agricultural products (10). Currently, Turkey has been affected from illegal animal and human movements.…”

“…In addition, Turkey has highly variable climatic conditions, vegetation structures, wildlife, and particularly many sanctuaries for immigrant birds. The geographic structure of Turkey also allows suitable habitats for various vector arthropods, such as bloodfeeding insects and ticks, throughout the four seasons of the year (10,(18)(19)(20)(21). Thus, several zoonotic diseases are endemic throughout the country and affect humans and animals (22)(23)(24) with economic losses (25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30).…”