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Frontiers in Cellular and Infection... 2020
Topics: Animals; Arthropod Vectors; Arthropods; Saliva; Ticks
PubMed: 33585290
DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.630626 -
Emerging Infectious Diseases 1998Rickettsial diseases, important causes of illness and death worldwide, exist primarily in endemic and enzootic foci that occasionally give rise to sporadic or seasonal... (Review)
Review
Rickettsial diseases, important causes of illness and death worldwide, exist primarily in endemic and enzootic foci that occasionally give rise to sporadic or seasonal outbreaks. Rickettsial pathogens are highly specialized for obligate intracellular survival in both the vertebrate host and the invertebrate vector. While studies often focus primarily on the vertebrate host, the arthropod vector is often more important in the natural maintenance of the pathogen. Consequently, coevolution of rickettsiae with arthropods is responsible for many features of the host-pathogen relationship that are unique among arthropod-borne diseases, including efficient pathogen replication, long-term maintenance of infection, and transstadial and transovarial transmission. This article examines the common features of the host-pathogen relationship and of the arthropod vectors of the typhus and spotted fever group rickettsiae.
Topics: Animals; Arthropod Vectors; Dermacentor; Humans; Pediculus; Rickettsia; Rickettsia Infections; Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever; Siphonaptera; Typhus, Epidemic Louse-Borne
PubMed: 9621188
DOI: 10.3201/eid0402.980205 -
Virusdisease 2014Arthropod vectors, such as mosquitoes, ticks, biting midges and sand flies, transmit many viruses that can cause outbreaks of disease in humans and animals around the... (Review)
Review
Arthropod vectors, such as mosquitoes, ticks, biting midges and sand flies, transmit many viruses that can cause outbreaks of disease in humans and animals around the world. Arthropod vector species are invading new areas due to globalisation and environmental changes, and contact between exotic animal species, humans and arthropod vectors is increasing, bringing with it the regular emergence of new arboviruses. For future strategies to control arbovirus transmission, it is important to improve our understanding of virus-vector interactions. In the last decade knowledge of arthropod antiviral immunity has increased rapidly. RNAi has been proposed as the most important antiviral response in mosquitoes and it is likely to be the most important antiviral response in all arthropods. However, other newly-discovered antiviral strategies such as melanisation and the link between RNAi and the JAK/STAT pathway via the cytokine Vago have been characterised in the last few years. This review aims to summarise the most important and most recent advances made in arthropod antiviral immunity.
PubMed: 25674592
DOI: 10.1007/s13337-014-0217-9 -
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection... 2022
Topics: Animals; Arthropod Vectors; Arthropods; Feeding Behavior; Insect Vectors; Saliva
PubMed: 35909959
DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.977511 -
Turkiye Parazitolojii Dergisi Sep 2020Vector-borne zoonotic diseases (VBZDs) are a major problem for public health and animal welfare all over the world. In recent years, there has been an alarming increase... (Review)
Review
Vector-borne zoonotic diseases (VBZDs) are a major problem for public health and animal welfare all over the world. In recent years, there has been an alarming increase in VBZDs, mainly caused by new or re-emerging arboviruses, bacteria and parasites. The World Health Organization enumerated 10 threats to global health for 2019, notably emphasizing climate change and emerging pathogens as growing priorities. It is important to review potential threats and develop new control programs for rising threats against human health and safety. Changes in host and vector population diversity and density may affect pathogen transmission patterns and influence VBZD emergence processes. In addition to environmental and climate-related changes, human and animal migratory patterns pose future threats. The geographic location and habitat features of Turkey support the establishment of many arthropod species as vectors of various diseases. To date, a total of 107 zoonotic infections have been reported originating from Turkey. Arthropods transmit 19 of 107 such infections, including 2 mosquito-borne, 9 tick-borne, 1 sandfly-borne, 3 flea-borne, 1 simuliid-borne, 1 mite-borne and 2 fly-borne diseases. In this review, we focus on the present status of knowledge on VBZDs as a rising threat to public health in Turkey to provide a foundation for future control efforts.
Topics: Animals; Ecosystem; Humans; Mosquito Vectors; Public Health; Turkey; Zoonoses
PubMed: 32928726
DOI: 10.4274/tpd.galenos.2020.6985 -
PLoS Pathogens May 2016Vertical transmission (VT) and horizontal transmission (HT) of pathogens refer to parental and non-parental chains of host-to-host transmission. Combining HT with VT... (Review)
Review
Vertical transmission (VT) and horizontal transmission (HT) of pathogens refer to parental and non-parental chains of host-to-host transmission. Combining HT with VT enlarges considerably the range of ecological conditions in which a pathogen can persist, but the factors governing the relative frequency of each transmission mode are poorly understood for pathogens with mixed-mode transmission. Elucidating these factors is particularly important for understanding the epidemiology of arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) of public health significance. Arboviruses are primarily maintained by HT between arthropod vectors and vertebrate hosts in nature, but are occasionally transmitted vertically in the vector population from an infected female to her offspring, which is a proposed maintenance mechanism during adverse conditions for HT. Here, we review over a century of published primary literature on natural and experimental VT, which we previously assembled into large databases, to identify biological factors associated with the efficiency of arbovirus VT in mosquito vectors. Using a robust statistical framework, we highlight a suite of environmental, taxonomic, and physiological predictors of arbovirus VT. These novel insights contribute to refine our understanding of strategies employed by arboviruses to persist in the environment and cause substantial public health concern. They also provide hypotheses on the biological processes underlying the relative VT frequency for pathogens with mixed-mode transmission that can be tested empirically.
Topics: Animals; Arbovirus Infections; Arboviruses; Culicidae; Humans; Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; Mosquito Vectors
PubMed: 27171170
DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1005548 -
Parasites & Vectors Sep 2011The saliva of haematophagous arthropods contains an array of anti-haemostatic, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory molecules that contribute to the success of the... (Review)
Review
The saliva of haematophagous arthropods contains an array of anti-haemostatic, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory molecules that contribute to the success of the blood meal. The saliva of haematophagous arthropods is also involved in the transmission and the establishment of pathogens in the host and in allergic responses. This survey provides a comprehensive overview of the pharmacological activity and immunogenic properties of the main salivary proteins characterised in various haematophagous arthropod species. The potential biological and epidemiological applications of these immunogenic salivary molecules will be discussed with an emphasis on their use as biomarkers of exposure to haematophagous arthropod bites or vaccine candidates that are liable to improve host protection against vector-borne diseases.
Topics: Animals; Arthropod Proteins; Arthropod Vectors; Arthropods; Bites and Stings; Hemostasis; Host-Parasite Interactions; Humans; Salivary Proteins and Peptides
PubMed: 21951834
DOI: 10.1186/1756-3305-4-187 -
Current Opinion in Insect Science Aug 2016The transmissibility of vector borne viruses can be affected by a combination of factors, both extrinsic (climatic changes, temperature, urbanization, among others) and... (Review)
Review
The transmissibility of vector borne viruses can be affected by a combination of factors, both extrinsic (climatic changes, temperature, urbanization, among others) and intrinsic (genetics, life span, immunity, among others). Temperature is of particular importance since the insect vectors of arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are ectothermic and acutely susceptible to temperature changes. Modeling suggests that with increasing global temperature and urbanization, arboviral diseases will continue to emerge or reemerge. This review highlights current literature regarding temperature-dependent effects on virus-vector interactions and their potential to influence the transmission dynamics and epidemiology of arboviral diseases.
Topics: Animals; Arbovirus Infections; Arboviruses; Insect Vectors; Insecta; Temperature; Virus Replication
PubMed: 27720044
DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2016.06.005 -
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection... 2013Ticks are obligate hematophagous ectoparasites that transmit a wide variety of pathogens to humans and animals. The incidence of tick-borne diseases has increased... (Review)
Review
Ticks are obligate hematophagous ectoparasites that transmit a wide variety of pathogens to humans and animals. The incidence of tick-borne diseases has increased worldwide in both humans and domestic animals over the past years resulting in greater interest in the study of tick-host-pathogen interactions. Advances in vector and pathogen genomics and proteomics have moved forward our knowledge of the vector-pathogen interactions that take place during the colonization and transmission of arthropod-borne microbes. Tick-borne pathogens adapt from the vector to the mammalian host by differential gene expression thus modulating host processes. In recent years, studies have shown that targeting tick proteins by vaccination can not only reduce tick feeding and reproduction, but also the infection and transmission of pathogens from the tick to the vertebrate host. In this article, we review the tick-protective antigens that have been identified for the formulation of tick vaccines and the effect of these vaccines on the control of tick-borne pathogens.
Topics: Animals; Arachnid Vectors; Ectoparasitic Infestations; Humans; Tick-Borne Diseases; Ticks; Vaccines
PubMed: 23847771
DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2013.00030 -
Current Opinion in Virology Dec 2015Mosquito-transmitted arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) such as dengue virus, chikungunya virus, and West Nile virus constitute a major public health burden and are... (Review)
Review
Mosquito-transmitted arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) such as dengue virus, chikungunya virus, and West Nile virus constitute a major public health burden and are increasing in severity and frequency worldwide. The microbiota associated with mosquitoes (comprised of viruses, bacteria, fungi and protozoa) can profoundly influence many host phenotypes including vector competence, which can either be enhanced or suppressed. Thus, the tripartite interactions between the mosquito vector, its microbiota and the pathogens they transmit offer novel possibilities to control arthropod-borne diseases.
Topics: Animals; Arbovirus Infections; Arboviruses; Culicidae; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Humans; Insect Vectors; Microbial Interactions; Microbiota
PubMed: 26363996
DOI: 10.1016/j.coviro.2015.08.011