Advances in Tick Research

Dear Colleagues,

Ticks, along with mites, are arachnids that constitute the subclass Acari. Molecular clock estimates that ticks originated in the Carboniferous era, approximately 300 million years ago. Fossil records also support that ticks were blood-suckers of dinosaurs 100 million years ago. The unusual adaptation of tick physiology that directly reflects the challenges of their fluctuating environment is incomparable to any other blood feeding arthropod. The pharmacopeia of tick salivary proteins is an arsenal for ticks to counteract host defense mechanisms. Although tick salivary proteins belong to known structural families, the function of these salivary proteins has diversified throughout tick evolution. Besides causing direct damage associated with blood feeding, and in some cases toxicity, ticks transmit a wide variety of pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and helminths. New genetic variants of these pathogens frequently emerge with an unforeseen impact on human and animal health. In addition to pathogens, ticks harbor some complex microbial communities that influence tick-pathogen interactions and potentially tick physiology. Currently, tick control overuse acaricides with substantial drawbacks that include environmental damage, human poisonings and the emergence of multiacaricide-resistant ticks. Anti-tick vaccines are an alternative for the control of one-host ticks (e.g., Rhipicephalus microplus). Implementing vaccination, however, has significant limitations - specifically against ticks that fed on multiple hosts during their life cycle. The aim of this Topical Collection, ‘New Frontiers in Tick Research’, is to explore the research landscape to find novel developments that may impact tick biology, tick-borne pathogen epidemiology, and strategies for controlling ticks and tick-borne pathogens.

Dr. Alejandro Cabezas-Cruz
Dr. Ladislav Šimo
Dr. James J. Valdés
Dr. Dasiel Obregón
Collection Editors

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