10th Anniversary of Pathogens—Classic Papers in Tick Research

A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817). This special issue belongs to the section "Ticks".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2023) | Viewed by 11577

Special Issue Editor

UMR BIPAR, INRAE, ANSES, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Université Paris-Est, 94700 Maisons-Alfort, France
Interests: tick-host-pathogen interactions; emerging tick-borne pathogens; Anaplasma; Ehrlichia; epidemiology; tick microbiome; α-Gal
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The year 2022 marks the 10th anniversary of the journal Pathogens. We are delighted and proud to celebrate with a series of Special Issues and events. We would like to express our sincerest thanks to our innumerable readers, authors, anonymous peer reviewers, editors, and all others who have worked in some way for the journal and made substantial contributions over the years. Reaching this landmark would not have been possible without your support.

To mark this important milestone, we have launched a dedicated Special Issue entitled “10th Anniversary of Pathogens—Classic papers in Tick Research”, which is now open for submissions. TICK Classics are landmark papers in tick research—significant scientific breakthroughs, as reflected in the research that followed its publication. TICK Classics mark a before and after and opened new avenues of research in anti-tick vaccines, tick-borne pathogen biology, tick physiology and other major topics. TICK Classics have been selected by the editorial board of Ticks. Each Classic article will be commented on by a scientist or a group of scientists in the field. Each of these commentaries or structured reviews will cover three questions: Background knowledge, Classic discovery and Influence on foreground knowledge. Together, these newly commissioned articles will retrace seminal contributions in the field.

Manuscript Submission Information

Even though TICK Classics have already been selected by the editorial board of Ticks, new proposals of TICK Classics and accompanying commentaries and structured reviews will be considered. For new proposals, please consider the following points:

1- TICK Classics have to be landmark papers in tick research: a paper that made a breakthrough reflected in the research that followed its publication.

2- The person proposing the TICK Classic cannot be author of any of the proposed paper(s).

3- The full version of the paper has to be accessible online and in English (we know that there are very good papers written in other languages, but this SI will cover only those accessible online and in English).

4- As long as the proposed article follows the criteria ‘1’, ‘2’, and ‘3’ above, there is no limit for the time passed between publication and the present time.

5- Explain the choice of each proposed paper in 10 lines maximum.

6- Proposals can be sent directly to the Editor of this SI.

Editorial Board, Ticks

Dr. Alejandro Cabezas-Cruz
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pathogens is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • landmark papers in tick research

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Review

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35 pages, 3072 KiB  
Review
More than Three Decades of Bm86: What We Know and Where to Go
by Laura Jane Bishop, Christian Stutzer and Christine Maritz-Olivier
Pathogens 2023, 12(9), 1071; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12091071 - 22 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 982
Abstract
Tick and tick-borne disease control have been a serious research focus for many decades. In a global climate of increasing acaricide resistance, host immunity against tick infestation has become a much-needed complementary strategy to common chemical control. From the earliest acquired resistance studies [...] Read more.
Tick and tick-borne disease control have been a serious research focus for many decades. In a global climate of increasing acaricide resistance, host immunity against tick infestation has become a much-needed complementary strategy to common chemical control. From the earliest acquired resistance studies in small animal models to proof of concept in large production animals, it was the isolation, characterization, and final recombinant protein production of the midgut antigen Bm86 from the Australian cattle tick strain of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (later reinstated as R. (B.) australis) that established tick subunit vaccines as a viable alternative in tick and tick-borne disease control. In the past 37 years, this antigen has spawned numerous tick subunit vaccines (either Bm86-based or novel), and though we are still describing its molecular structure and function, this antigen remains the gold standard for all tick vaccines. In this paper, advances in tick vaccine development over the past three decades are discussed alongside the development of biotechnology, where existing gaps and future directives in the field are highlighted. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Pathogens—Classic Papers in Tick Research)
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Other

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10 pages, 981 KiB  
Commentary
50 Years since Kaufman and Phillips’ Groundbreaking Trilogy Elucidating Ion and Water Homeostasis in Ixodid Ticks
by Ladislav Šimo
Pathogens 2023, 12(3), 385; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12030385 - 28 Feb 2023
Viewed by 1432
Abstract
The enormous volume of blood ingested by hard ticks during their long attachment period is without a doubt the hallmark of their biology. Maintaining a homeostatic balance between ion and water intake and loss during their feeding is critical to preventing osmotic stress [...] Read more.
The enormous volume of blood ingested by hard ticks during their long attachment period is without a doubt the hallmark of their biology. Maintaining a homeostatic balance between ion and water intake and loss during their feeding is critical to preventing osmotic stress and death. Exactly 50 years ago, Kaufman and Phillips published a series of three consecutive papers on “Ion and water balance in the ixodid tick Dermacentor andersoni”, Journal of Experimental Biology (1973): I. Routes of ion and water excretion, 58: 523–36; II. Mechanism and control of salivary secretion 58: 537–547; and III. Influence of monovalent ions and osmotic pressure on salivary secretion 58: 549–564. This classic series significantly expanded our knowledge of the unique regulatory processes governing ion and water balance in fed ixodid ticks, highlighting its uniqueness among the blood-feeding arthropods. Their pioneer work had an enormous impact on understanding the vital role of salivary glands in these actions, and ultimately provided a consequential stepping stone for a new era of hard tick salivary gland physiological research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Pathogens—Classic Papers in Tick Research)
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10 pages, 273 KiB  
Commentary
Tick Vaccines and Concealed versus Exposed Antigens
by Sandra Antunes and Ana Domingos
Pathogens 2023, 12(3), 374; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12030374 - 24 Feb 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1414
Abstract
Anti-tick vaccines development mainly depends on the identification of suitable antigens, which ideally should have different features. These should be key molecules in tick biology, encoded by a single gene, expressed across life stages and tick tissues, capable of inducing B and T [...] Read more.
Anti-tick vaccines development mainly depends on the identification of suitable antigens, which ideally should have different features. These should be key molecules in tick biology, encoded by a single gene, expressed across life stages and tick tissues, capable of inducing B and T cells to promote an immunological response without allergenic, hemolytic, and toxic effects; and should not be homologous to the mammalian host. The discussion regarding this subject and the usefulness of “exposed” and “concealed” antigens was effectively explored in the publication by Nuttall et al. (2006). The present commentary intends to debate the relevance of such study in the field of tick immunological control. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Pathogens—Classic Papers in Tick Research)
10 pages, 1545 KiB  
Opinion
Discovery of the Role of Tick Salivary Glands in Enhancement of Virus Transmission—Beginning of an Exciting Story
by Pavlína Bartíková, Iveta Štibrániová and Mária Kazimírová
Pathogens 2023, 12(2), 334; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12020334 - 16 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1630
Abstract
There is increasing evidence that arthropod-borne pathogens exploit saliva of their vectors during the transmission process to vertebrate hosts. Extensive research of the composition of tick saliva and its role in blood-feeding and transmission of pathogens started in the late 1980s and led [...] Read more.
There is increasing evidence that arthropod-borne pathogens exploit saliva of their vectors during the transmission process to vertebrate hosts. Extensive research of the composition of tick saliva and its role in blood-feeding and transmission of pathogens started in the late 1980s and led to a number of discoveries on the composition and function of salivary molecules, some of which are associated with pathogen transmission. The study by Jones et al. published in 1989 can be ranked among the pioneer works in this field as it demonstrated for the first time the role of tick salivary glands in enhancement of transmission of a tick-borne virus. Thogoto virus was used in the model and subsequently similar results were obtained for tick-borne encephalitis virus. After a relatively silent period of almost 20 years, interest in tick–arbovirus–host interactions emerged again in the 2010s. However, no particular salivary molecule(s) enhancing virus transmission has (have) been identified to date. Intensive research in this field will certainly lead to new discoveries with future implications in the control of transmission of dangerous tick-borne viruses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Pathogens—Classic Papers in Tick Research)
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8 pages, 619 KiB  
Opinion
The Bm86 Discovery: A Revolution in the Development of Anti-Tick Vaccines
by Alina Rodríguez-Mallon
Pathogens 2023, 12(2), 231; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12020231 - 02 Feb 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1912
Abstract
The presence in nature of species with genetic resistance to ticks, or with acquired resistance after repeated tick infestations, has encouraged the scientific community to consider vaccination as an alternative to the unsustainable chemical control of ticks. After numerous attempts to artificially immunize [...] Read more.
The presence in nature of species with genetic resistance to ticks, or with acquired resistance after repeated tick infestations, has encouraged the scientific community to consider vaccination as an alternative to the unsustainable chemical control of ticks. After numerous attempts to artificially immunize hosts with tick extracts, the purification and characterization of the Bm86 antigen by Willadsen et al. in 1989 constituted a revolutionary step forward in the development of vaccines against ticks. Previously, innovative studies that had used tick gut extracts for the immunization of cattle against Rhipicepahalus microplus (previously named Boophilus microplus) ticks, with amazingly successful results, demonstrated the feasibility of using antigens other than salivary-gland-derived molecules to induce a strong anti-tick immunity. However, the practical application of an anti-tick vaccine required the isolation, identification, and purification of the responsible antigen, which was finally defined as the Bm86 protein. More than thirty years later, the only commercially available anti-tick vaccines are still based on this antigen, and all our current knowledge about the field application of immunological control based on vaccination against ticks has been obtained through the use of these vaccines. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Pathogens—Classic Papers in Tick Research)
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8 pages, 541 KiB  
Commentary
Impact of the Paper by Allen and Humphreys (1979) on Anti-Tick Vaccine Research
by Consuelo Almazán
Pathogens 2022, 11(11), 1253; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11111253 - 28 Oct 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1034
Abstract
The classic paper by Allen and Humphreys “Immunisation of guinea pigs and cattle against ticks” Nature, 1979, 280: 491–493 led to a surge in the development of tick vaccines as a nonchemical method for prevention of tick infestations in susceptible hosts living in [...] Read more.
The classic paper by Allen and Humphreys “Immunisation of guinea pigs and cattle against ticks” Nature, 1979, 280: 491–493 led to a surge in the development of tick vaccines as a nonchemical method for prevention of tick infestations in susceptible hosts living in tick-endemic regions. Although observations of host resistance to ticks had been documented since the beginning of the last century, it was not until publication of this paper that the proof of concept of anti-tick vaccines was developed. The described experimental methods directly impacted further investigations on the discovery and evaluation of new anti-tick vaccines. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Pathogens—Classic Papers in Tick Research)
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8 pages, 947 KiB  
Commentary
The Impact of RNA Interference in Tick Research
by José de la Fuente and Katherine M. Kocan
Pathogens 2022, 11(8), 827; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11080827 - 23 Jul 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2151
Abstract
Over the past two decades, RNA interference (RNAi) in ticks, in combination with omics technologies, have greatly advanced the discovery of tick gene and molecular function. While mechanisms of RNAi were initially elucidated in plants, fungi, and nematodes, the classic 2002 study by [...] Read more.
Over the past two decades, RNA interference (RNAi) in ticks, in combination with omics technologies, have greatly advanced the discovery of tick gene and molecular function. While mechanisms of RNAi were initially elucidated in plants, fungi, and nematodes, the classic 2002 study by Aljamali et al. was the first to demonstrate RNAi gene silencing in ticks. Subsequently, applications of RNAi have led to the discovery of genes that impact tick function and tick-host-pathogen interactions. RNAi will continue to lead to the discovery of an array of tick genes and molecules suitable for the development of vaccines and/or pharmacologic approaches for tick control and the prevention of pathogen transmission. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Pathogens—Classic Papers in Tick Research)
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