Vector-borne infectious diseases

Modeling spatio-temporal annual changes in the probability of human tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) occurrence across Europe

Boosted regression trees predict, one year ahead, where human tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) cases are likely in Europe (AUC 0.85 regional, 0.82 municipal), with probability rising in central-western Europe.

Development of a durable, memory-driven, CspZ-targeting Lyme disease vaccine by rational adjuvant selection

This study develops a durable Lyme disease vaccine using CspZ-YAC187S antigen with Alum-CpG and Alum-Gal adjuvants, showing long-term protective immunity and memory responses.

Galleria mellonella as a novel invertebrate model for studying Ehrlichia ruminantium pathogenesis and host-pathogen interactions

This paper establishes Galleria mellonella as an invertebrate model to study Ehrlichia ruminantium pathogenesis and host-pathogen interactions, showing bacterial persistence and immune system hijacking.

Complete genomes of Rickettsia typhi reveal a clonal population

This study sequenced 25 new Rickettsia typhi genomes, expanding the dataset to 29 complete genomes, revealing minimal genetic diversity and a clonal population structure.

Highly prevalent co-infections and genetic diversity of Anaplasma species in asymptomatic small ruminants in a Mediterranean context revealed by a gltA-based nested multiplex PCR assay

The paper identifies high prevalence and genetic diversity of Anaplasma species in asymptomatic small ruminants in Corsica using nested PCR and sequence analysis.

Morphological and molecular characterisation of Orientia tsutsugamushi grown in tick cells

This study characterizes the morphology and molecular behavior of Orientia tsutsugamushi in tick cell lines, revealing distinct replication dynamics and protein expression patterns compared to mammalian cells.

Developmental Progression and Single-Cell Heterogeneity of Orientia tsutsugamushi during Intracellular Infection

This study identifies four distinct growth stages of Orientia tsutsugamushi within host cells using single-cell analysis, revealing asynchronous growth and transcriptional/translation heterogeneity.

Candidatus Rickettsia mendelii has the smallest and most ancestral-like genome in the genus Rickettsia

The paper isolates and analyzes six Candidatus Rickettsia mendelii strains, finding they have the smallest genome in the genus Rickettsia and retain features of the ancestral Rickettsia genome.

Fast and efficient Borrelia genome recovery from tick samples using Whole-Genome Amplification

This paper introduces a method to recover Borrelia genomes from ticks using Whole Genome Amplification, significantly reducing the time and effort compared to traditional culturing methods.

Comparative Dual RNA-Seq Analysis of Eight Orientia tsutsugamushi Strains in Endothelial Cells Reveals Regulatory Patterns in Bacterial and Host Pathways During Infection

The paper compares dual RNA-seq data from eight Orientia tsutsugamushi strains in endothelial cells, finding no clear gene expression patterns correlating with virulence but identifying strain-specific interferon responses and conserved bacterial pathways.

OspA Antibodies Inhibit the In vitro Transmigration of Borreliella burgdorferi

This study shows that OspA antibodies inhibit B. burgdorferi transmigration in vitro, with some antibodies causing bacterial aggregation and others blocking movement without agglutination.

Human exposure to spirochete-infected Ornithodoros turicata collected from the home of an individual in the Austin, Texas Metropolitan Area

A tick found in a home was infected with Borrelia turicatae, and the homeowner had a prior undiagnosed febrile illness, suggesting possible recurrent tick exposure.

Morphological Identification of Ticks in district Swabi, Mardan, and Charsadda

This study identifies and maps tick species in Swabi, Mardan, and Charsadda districts, revealing morphological diversity and distribution patterns relevant to disease transmission.

The Prevalence and Identification of Livestock Tick by Sex Ratio and Host in Tehran Province

In a 2019 survey of 1623 animals in 20 Tehran Province villages, 685 hard and 121 soft ticks were collected; females predominated (57.99%) and sheep yielded most ticks (60.04%).

Prevalence of Heartwater in Guadeloupe (2024): Stable endemicity and Evidence of Spread to Les Saintes

This study updates the seroprevalence of heartwater in Guadeloupe's cattle and goats, finding stable endemicity and evidence of spread to Les Saintes.

Coxiella burnetii strains elicit distinct inflammatory responses in human macrophages

This study compares inflammatory responses of human macrophages to different Coxiella burnetii strains, finding strain-specific transcriptional and cytokine responses.

Host cyclophilin-mediated maturation of an obligate intracellular bacterial surface virulence factor

This study identifies cyclophilin A as a host factor critical for the maturation and function of a virulence factor in obligate intracellular bacteria, with implications for therapeutic targeting.

Epigenetic Reprogramming of Host Chromatin by the Transforming Parasite Theileria annulata

This study investigates how Theileria annulata reprograms host chromatin epigenetically to facilitate infection and transformation, revealing unique modifications and a novel host-parasite epigenetic interface.

Bovine macrophages transcriptome profiling reveals divergent responses to virulent and attenuated Babesia bovis strains

This study uses RNA-seq to compare gene expression in bovine macrophages infected with virulent and attenuated Babesia bovis strains, revealing distinct transcriptional responses.

Altiratinib Targets PRP4K in Theileria annulata, Disrupting RNA Processing and Inducing Apoptosis in Infected Cells

This paper shows Altiratinib targets PRP4K in Theileria annulata, disrupting RNA processing and inducing apoptosis in infected cells, with efficacy against drug-resistant strains.

Rickettsia rickettsii encodes a secretory lipase that facilitates intracytosolic colonization in host cells.

This study identifies RLip, a conserved lipase in Rickettsia rickettsii, which facilitates intracytosolic colonization by enabling escape from phagolysosomal fusion.

Incorporating weather and host abundance in an iterative subseasonal-to-interannual ecological forecast system for Ixodes scapularis, the vector of Lyme disease

This study develops an iterative Bayesian forecast model for Ixodes scapularis population dynamics, showing improved accuracy with weather and host data, particularly for nymph survival and disease risk prediction.

A multidimensional analysis of the risk of infection with Ehrlichia canis among urban dogs in Iquitos, Peru.

This study identifies risk factors for Ehrlichia canis infection in urban dogs in Iquitos, Peru, and suggests targeted interventions to reduce transmission.

Mechanistic pathways of tick exposure risk in native and invaded plant communities

The paper evaluates how plant invasions affect tick exposure risk through microclimate and host abundance pathways in native and invaded plant communities.

Unmapped reads from whole-genome sequencing data reveal pathogen diversity in European and African cattle breeds

The paper analyzes unmapped reads from whole-genome sequencing data of cattle breeds to reveal geographic variation in pathogen diversity across Europe and Africa.

Environmental drivers of Ixodes ricinus tick population dynamics: mechanistic modelling using longitudinal field surveys and climate data

This study models environmental drivers of Ixodes ricinus tick population dynamics using climate data and field surveys, finding temperature thresholds for life cycle stages and climate change impacts on tick abundance.

Acquired tick resistance in Peromyscus leucopus alters Ixodes scapularis infection

This study shows that Peromyscus leucopus develops acquired tick resistance against Ixodes scapularis, reducing tick feeding success and pathogen ingestion.

Evaluating the diagnostic capabilities of nanopore sequencing for Borrelia burgdorferi detection in blacklegged ticks

This study evaluates nanopore adaptive sampling for detecting Borrelia burgdorferi in ticks, finding it highly specific but with moderate sensitivity and high false-negative rates.

Complement therapeutic Factor H-IgG proteins as pre-exposure prophylaxes against Lyme borreliae infections

This paper demonstrates that FH-Fc constructs can kill Lyme borreliae and reduce infection in vivo by targeting complement evasion mechanisms.

Contrasting roles of host species in tick-pathogen interactions and their influence on Lyme borreliosis hazard across boreal island communities

The paper uses structural equation modeling to analyze how cervid and rodent abundances affect Lyme borreliosis hazard in boreal island communities.