Tick Collectors

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https://data.tickbase.net/handle/20.500.13086/1
Community of tick collectors who perform empirical fieldwork to sample and collect ticks.

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    The Assessment, Management and Prevention of Calf Muscle Strain Injuries: A Qualitative Study of the Practices and Perspectives of 20 Expert Sports Clinicians
    ( 1/15/2022) Green, Brady ; McClelland, Jodie A. ; Semciw, Adam I. ; Schache, Anthony G. ; McCall, Alan ; Pizzari, Tania
    Abstract Background Despite calf muscle strain injuries (CMSI) being problematic in many sports, there is a dearth of research to guide clinicians dealing with these injuries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the current practices and perspectives of a select group of international experts regarding the assessment, management and prevention of CMSI using in-depth semi-structured interviews. Results Twenty expert clinicians working in elite sport and/or clinician-researchers specialising in the field completed interviews. A number of key points emerged from the interviews. Characteristics of CMSI were considered unique compared to other muscle strains. Rigor in the clinical approach clarifies the diagnosis, whereas ongoing monitoring of calf capacity and responses to loading exposure provides the most accurate estimate of prognosis. Athlete intrinsic characteristics, injury factors and sport demands shaped rehabilitation across six management phases, which were guided by key principles to optimise performance at return to play (RTP) while avoiding subsequent injury or recurrence. To prevent CMSI, periodic monitoring is common, but practices vary and data are collected to inform load-management and exercise selection rather than predict future CMSI. A universal injury prevention program for CMSI may not exist. Instead, individualised strategies should reflect athlete intrinsic characteristics and sport demands. Conclusions Information provided by experts enabled a recommended approach to clinically evaluate CMSI to be outlined, highlighting the injury characteristics considered most important for diagnosis and prognosis. Principles for optimal management after CMSI were also identified, which involved a systematic approach to rehabilitation and the RTP decision. Although CMSI were reportedly difficult to prevent, on- and off-field strategies were implemented by experts to mitigate risk, particularly in susceptible athletes.
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    Metabarcoding reveals low prevalence of microsporidian infections in castor bean tick (Ixodes ricinus)
    ( 1/15/2022) Trzebny, Artur ; Liberska, Justyna ; Slodkowicz-Kowalska, Anna ; Dabert, Miroslawa
    Abstract Background Microsporidia is a large group of eukaryotic obligate intracellular spore-forming parasites, of which 17 species can cause microsporidiosis in humans. Most human-infecting microsporidians belong to the genera Enterocytozoon and Encephalitozoon. To date, only five microsporidian species, including Encephalitozoon-like, have been found in hard ticks (Ixodidae) using microscopic methods, but no sequence data are available for them. Furthermore, no widespread screening for microsporidian-infected ticks based on DNA analysis has been carried out to date. Thus, in this study, we applied a recently developed DNA metabarcoding method for efficient microsporidian DNA identification to assess the role of ticks as potential vectors of microsporidian species causing diseases in humans. Methods In total, 1070 (493 juvenile and 577 adult) unfed host-seeking Ixodes ricinus ticks collected at urban parks in the city of Poznan, Poland, and 94 engorged tick females fed on dogs and cats were screened for microsporidian DNA. Microsporidians were detected by PCR amplification and sequencing of the hypervariable V5 region of 18S rRNA gene (18S profiling) using the microsporidian-specific primer set. Tick species were identified morphologically and confirmed by amplification and sequencing of the shortened fragment of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (mini-COI). Results All collected ticks were unambiguously assigned to I. ricinus. Potentially zoonotic Encephalitozoon intestinalis was identified in three fed ticks (3.2%) collected from three different dogs. In eight unfed host-seeking ticks (0.8%), including three males (1.1%), two females (0.7%) and three nymphs (0.7%), the new microsporidian sequence representing a species belonging to the genus Endoreticulatus was identified. Conclusions The lack of zoonotic microsporidians in host-seeking ticks suggests that I. ricinus is not involved in transmission of human-infecting microsporidians. Moreover, a very low occurrence of the other microsporidian species in both fed and host-seeking ticks implies that mechanisms exist to defend ticks against infection with these parasites. Graphical abstract
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    Conventional agrochemicals towards nano-biopesticides: an overview on recent advances
    ( 1/15/2022) Abdollahdokht, Danial ; Gao, Yunhao ; Faramarz, Sanaz ; Poustforoosh, Alireza ; Abbasi, Mojtaba ; Asadikaram, Gholamreza ; Nematollahi, Mohammad Hadi
    AbstractPesticides are classified into several groups based on their structure, including fungicides, insecticides, herbicides, bactericides, and rodenticides. Pesticides are toxic to both humans and pests. For pest control, a very small amount of pesticides reach their target pests. Therefore, nearly all pesticides move through the environment and exert adverse effects on beneficial biota and public health. These chemicals pollute the water, soil, and atmosphere of the ecosystem. Agricultural workers in greenhouses and open fields, exterminators of house pests, and workers in the pesticide industry are occupationally exposed to pesticides. Pesticide exposure in the general population primarily happens through the consumption of food and water contaminated with pesticide residues; however, substantial exposure can also occur outside or inside the house. Currently, intelligent, responsive, biodegradable, and biocompatible materials have attracted considerable interest for the formulation of green, safe, and efficient pesticides. It was indicated that utilizing nanotechnology to design and prepare targeted pesticides with an environmentally responsive controlled release via chemical modifications and compounds offers great potential for creating new formulations. Furthermore, biopesticides include microbial pesticides, which are naturally happening biochemical pesticides. In addition, pesticidal substances generated by plants with added genetic materials, i.e., plant-incorporated protectants (PIPs), have emerged. Based on the foregoing evidence, various types of pesticides are summarized in this review for the first time. Here, new pesticides including nano-pesticides and biopesticides are discussed while focusing on the most recent findings on targeted and safe nano-formulated biopesticides and nano-pesticides. Graphical Abstract
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    De novo transcriptome sequencing of the northern fowl mite, Ornithonyssus sylviarum, shed light on parasitiform poultry mites evolution and its chemoreceptor repertoires
    ( 1/15/2022) Bhowmick, Biswajit ; Chen, Huaqing ; Lozano-Fernandez, Jesus ; Vizueta, Joel ; Ignell, Rickard ; Han, Qian
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    Prevalence of Theileria/Babesia Species in Ruminants in Burdur Province of Turkey
    ( 1/15/2022) Kose, Onur ; Bilgic, Huseyin Bilgin ; Bakirci, Serkan ; Karagenc, Tulin ; Adanir, Ramazan ; Yukari, Bayram Ali ; Eren, Hasan
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    Power Quality Parameters Calculation Using FPGA Embedded Parallel Processors in Compliance with the IEC 61000-4-30 Standard
    ( 1/16/2022) Luiz, Max M. ; Duque, Tales F. ; Almeida, Afonso H. S. ; Kapisch, Eder B. ; Silva, Leandro R. M. ; Lima, Marcelo A. A.
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    Enhancing the performance of 3D auto-correlation gradient features in depth action classification
    ( 1/16/2022) Bulbul, Mohammad Farhad ; Islam, Saiful ; Azme, Zannatul ; Pareek, Preksha ; Kabir, Md. Humaun ; Ali, Hazrat
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    The special role of CXCL13 in Lyme neuroborreliosis: a case report
    ( 1/17/2022) Erhart, Deborah K. ; Bracknies, Vera ; Lutz-Schuhbauer, Susanne ; Wigand, Sonja ; Tumani, Hayrettin
    AbstractThe diagnosis of chronic lyme neuroborreliosis can be a challenge even for experienced neurologists. The clinical picture may be multifaceted, including polyradiculitis to cranial nerve palsies, meningitis, encephalomyelitis, encephalopathy and peripheral neuropathy. We report on a patient presenting with basal leptomeningoencephalitis associated with vasculopathy where the chemokine CXCL13 in cerebrospinal fluid played an important diagnostic role.
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    DADAN: dual-path attention with distribution analysis network for text-image matching
    ( 1/17/2022) Li, Wenhao ; Zhu, Hongqing ; Yang, Suyi ; Zhang, Han
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    Ticks and tick-borne diseases of livestock in the middle east and north africa: A review
    ( 1/19/2021) Perveen, Nighat ; Muzaffar, Sabir Bin ; Al-Deeb, Mohammad Ali
    Ticks are important vectors of an array of viral, bacterial and protozoan pathogens resulting in a wide range of animal and human diseases. There is limited information in the literature about tick species in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries, even though they have suitable climate and vegetation for ticks and their hosts. We reviewed the occurrence of tick species and the pathogens they transmit from the MENA on published papers from 1901–2020. We found taxonomic records of 55 tick species infesting livestock representing the following eight genera: Ornithodoros, Otobius, Amblyomma, Dermacentor, Haemaphysalis, Hyalomma, Ixodes, and Rhipicephalus. In addition, 15 pathogens were recorded causing diseases of significance, with Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever, theileriosis, babesiosis and anaplasmosis being widely distributed diseases in the region. In recent decades, there has been increasing trends in disease occurrence and movement associated with global movement of humans and global trade of animals. We suggest that disease control and prevention could be achieved effectively through good integration between public health, veterinary medicine and animal management, and ecological approaches. We recommend further research in the areas of tick ecology and tick born-disease transmission. Furthermore, we suggest evaluation and improvement of disease control policies in the region.
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    The scale affects our view on the identification and distribution of microbial communities in ticks
    ( 1/21/2020) Pollet, Thomas ; Sprong, Hein ; Lejal, Emilie ; Krawczyk, Aleksandra I. ; Moutailler, Sara ; Cosson, Jean Francois ; Vayssier-Taussat, Muriel ; Estrada-Peña, Agustín
    AbstractTicks transmit the highest variety of pathogens impacting human and animal health worldwide. It is now well established that ticks also harbour a microbial complex of coexisting symbionts, commensals and pathogens. With the development of high throughput sequencing technologies, studies dealing with such diverse bacterial composition in tick considerably increased in the past years and revealed an unexpected microbial diversity. These data on diversity and composition of the tick microbes are increasingly available, giving crucial details on microbial communities in ticks and improving our knowledge on the tick microbial community. However, consensus is currently lacking as to which scales (tick organs, individual specimens or species, communities of ticks, populations adapted to particular environmental conditions, spatial and temporal scales) best facilitate characterizing microbial community composition of ticks and understanding the diverse relationships among tick-borne bacteria. Temporal or spatial scales have a clear influence on how we conduct ecological studies, interpret results, and understand interactions between organisms that build the microbiome. We consider that patterns apparent at one scale can collapse into noise when viewed from other scales, indicating that processes shaping tick microbiome have a continuum of variability that has not yet been captured. Based on available reports, this review demonstrates how much the concept of scale is crucial to be considered in tick microbial community studies to improve our knowledge on tick microbe ecology and pathogen/microbiota interactions.
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    Ticks and Tick-borne diseases in Ireland
    ( 1/31/2017) Zintl, Annetta ; Moutailler, Sara ; Stuart, Peter ; Paredis, Linda ; Dutraive, Justine ; Gonzalez, Estelle ; O’Connor, Jack ; Devillers, Elodie ; Good, Barbara ; OMuireagain, Colm ; De Waal, Theo ; Morris, Fergal ; Gray, Jeremy
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    Immunobiology of Acquired Resistance to Ticks
    ( 10/14/2020) Karasuyama, Hajime ; Miyake, Kensuke ; Yoshikawa, Soichiro
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    Possible Effects of Climate Change on Ixodid Ticks and the Pathogens They Transmit: Predictions and Observations
    ( 10/28/2020) Ogden, Nicholas H. ; Ben Beard, C. ; Ginsberg, Howard S. ; Tsao, Jean I.
    Abstract The global climate has been changing over the last century due to greenhouse gas emissions and will continue to change over this century, accelerating without effective global efforts to reduce emissions. Ticks and tick-borne diseases (TTBDs) are inherently climate-sensitive due to the sensitivity of tick lifecycles to climate. Key direct climate and weather sensitivities include survival of individual ticks, and the duration of development and host-seeking activity of ticks. These sensitivities mean that in some regions a warming climate may increase tick survival, shorten life-cycles and lengthen the duration of tick activity seasons. Indirect effects of climate change on host communities may, with changes in tick abundance, facilitate enhanced transmission of tick-borne pathogens. High temperatures, and extreme weather events (heat, cold, and flooding) are anticipated with climate change, and these may reduce tick survival and pathogen transmission in some locations. Studies of the possible effects of climate change on TTBDs to date generally project poleward range expansion of geographical ranges (with possible contraction of ranges away from the increasingly hot tropics), upslope elevational range spread in mountainous regions, and increased abundance of ticks in many current endemic regions. However, relatively few studies, using long-term (multi-decade) observations, provide evidence of recent range changes of tick populations that could be attributed to recent climate change. Further integrated ‘One Health’ observational and modeling studies are needed to detect changes in TTBD occurrence, attribute them to climate change, and to develop predictive models of public- and animal-health needs to plan for TTBD emergence.
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    Possible Effects of Climate Change on Ixodid Ticks and the Pathogens They Transmit: Predictions and Observations
    ( 10/28/2020) Ogden, Nicholas H. ; Ben Beard, C. ; Ginsberg, Howard S. ; Tsao, Jean I.
    Abstract The global climate has been changing over the last century due to greenhouse gas emissions and will continue to change over this century, accelerating without effective global efforts to reduce emissions. Ticks and tick-borne diseases (TTBDs) are inherently climate-sensitive due to the sensitivity of tick lifecycles to climate. Key direct climate and weather sensitivities include survival of individual ticks, and the duration of development and host-seeking activity of ticks. These sensitivities mean that in some regions a warming climate may increase tick survival, shorten life-cycles and lengthen the duration of tick activity seasons. Indirect effects of climate change on host communities may, with changes in tick abundance, facilitate enhanced transmission of tick-borne pathogens. High temperatures, and extreme weather events (heat, cold, and flooding) are anticipated with climate change, and these may reduce tick survival and pathogen transmission in some locations. Studies of the possible effects of climate change on TTBDs to date generally project poleward range expansion of geographical ranges (with possible contraction of ranges away from the increasingly hot tropics), upslope elevational range spread in mountainous regions, and increased abundance of ticks in many current endemic regions. However, relatively few studies, using long-term (multi-decade) observations, provide evidence of recent range changes of tick populations that could be attributed to recent climate change. Further integrated ‘One Health’ observational and modeling studies are needed to detect changes in TTBD occurrence, attribute them to climate change, and to develop predictive models of public- and animal-health needs to plan for TTBD emergence.
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    The effect of anxiety and spiritual well-being on the care burden of caregivers of cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic
    ( 10/6/2021) Akkuş, Yeliz ; Karacan, Yasemin ; Ünlü, Kübra ; Deniz, Muhammed ; Parlak, Ayşegül
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    A Beginner's guide to collecting questing hard ticks (acari: ixodidae): A standardized tick dragging protocol
    ( 11/1/2020) Salomon, Jordan ; Hamer, Sarah A. ; Swei, Andrea
    Abstract Tick-borne diseases are emerging globally, necessitating increased research and coordination of tick surveillance practices. The most widely used technique for active collection of host-seeking, human-biting tick vectors is ‘tick dragging’, by which a cloth is dragged across the top of the vegetation or forest floor and regularly checked for the presence of ticks. Use of variable dragging protocols limits the ability of researchers to combine data sets for comparative analyses or determine patterns and trends across different spatial and temporal scales. Standardization of tick drag collection and reporting methodology will greatly benefit the field of tick-pathogen studies. Based on the recommendations of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and other ecological considerations, we propose that tick dragging should be conducted to sample at least 750 m2 along linear transects when habitat allows in a manner that reduces bias in the sampled area, and report density of each tick species and life stage separately. A protocol for constructing a standard drag cloth, establishing linear transects, and drag sampling is presented, along with a downloadable datasheet that can be modified to suit the needs of different projects. Efforts to align tick surveillance according to these standard best practices will help generate robust data on tick population biology.
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    Prevalence of pathogens in ticks collected from humans through citizen science in Belgium
    ( 11/21/2019) Lernout, Tinne ; De Regge, Nick ; Tersago, Katrien ; Fonville, Manoj ; Suin, Vanessa ; Sprong, Hein
    Abstract Background In order to evaluate the risk of human exposure to tick-borne pathogens in Belgium, a study on the prevalence of several pathogens was conducted on feeding ticks removed from humans in 2017. Methods Using a citizen science approach based on an existing notification tool for tick bites, a sample of ticks was collected across the country. Collected ticks were screened by PCR for the presence of the following pathogens: Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia spp., Borrelia burgdorferi (sensu lato), Borrelia miyamotoi, Neoehrlichia mikurensis, Rickettsia helvetica and tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV). Results In total, 1599 ticks were included in the sample. The great majority of ticks belonged to Ixodes ricinus (99%); other tick species were identified as Ixodes hexagonus (0.7%) and Dermacentor reticulatus (0.3%). Borrelia burgdorferi (s.l.) was detected in 14% of nymphs and adult ticks. Adult ticks (20%) were more likely to be infected than nymphs (12%). The most common genospecies were B. afzelii (52%) and B. garinii (21%). Except for TBEV, the other tick-borne pathogens studied were all detected in the tick sample, although at a lower prevalence: 1.5% for Babesia spp.; 1.8% for A. phagocytophilum; 2.4% for B. miyamotoi; 2.8% for N. mikurensis; and 6.8% for R. helvetica. Rickettsia raoultii, the causative agent of tick-borne lymphadenopathy, was identified for the first time in Belgium, in two out of five D. reticulatus ticks. Co-infections were found in 3.9% of the examined ticks. The most common co-infection was B. burgdorferi (s.l.) + N. mikurensis. Conclusions Although for most of the tick-borne diseases in Belgium, other than Lyme borreliosis, no or few cases of human infection are reported, the pathogens causing these diseases were all (except for TBEV) detected in the tick study sample. Their confirmed presence can help raise awareness among citizens and health professionals in Belgium on possible diseases other than Lyme borreliosis in patients presenting fever or other non-characteristic symptoms after a tick bite.
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    Tick-borne encephalitis
    ( 11/24/2021) Stock, Ingo
    Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is the medically most common tick-borne viral disease in Europe and Asia. The TBE virus (TBEV) is a member of the family Flaviviridae. Transmission mainly to humans occurs by ticks of the Family Ixodidae, mainly the castor bean tick (Ixodes ricinus) in Europe and the taiga tick (Ixodes persulcatus) in Asia. Rarely TBEV is also transmitted by contaminated milk of infected ungulates (goat, sheep, cow). The clinical course of TBE is variable and may range from subclinical to fatal encephalomyelitis. Probably host and viral factors are involved in the pathogenesis of disease. So far, no specific treatment of the disease is available. The only effective prevention of TBE is vaccination. A number of different vaccines are available worldwide. In Europe two vaccines are licensed which contain inactivated European subtype TBEV. Probably the European vaccines protect also against infections with other subtypes of TBEV.