Tick-borne diseases: "It is essential that scientists develop vaccines to prevent disease"

Bacteria cause most Tick-borne diseases in the United States, with Lyme disease accounting for the majority (82 percent) of reported cases. The spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi is the leading cause of Lyme disease in North America; it is carried by hard-body ticks that then feed on small mammals, such as white-footed mice, and larger animals, such as white-tailed deer. Although many factors probably contribute to the increase in the incidence of Lyme disease in the United States, the highest densities of ticks and their expanding geographic area have played a key role, the authors write. . For example, the tick Ixodes scapularis main source of Lyme disease in the northeastern United States, was detected in nearly 50% of counties in 2015 compared to 1996. Although the Most of the disease is treated successfully with antibiotics, 10 to 20 percent of patients report persistent symptoms after effective antimicrobial therapy. Scientists need to better understand this persistent morbidity, the authors note.

Tick-borne virus infections are also increasing and could cause serious illness and death. For example, the Powassan virus (POWV), recognized in 1958, causes a febrile illness that can be followed by progressive and severe neurological disorders, resulting in death in 10 to 15% of cases and long-term symptoms in 70% of cases . survivors. Only 20 US cases of POWV infection were reported before 2006; 99 cases were reported between 2006 and 2016.

According to the authors, the public health burden of tick-borne diseases is significantly underestimated. For example, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports about 30,000 cases of Lyme disease per year in the United States, but estimates that the actual incidence is ten times higher. According to the authors, this is partly due to the limitations of current surveillance of tick-borne diseases, as well as current diagnoses, which may be imprecise in some cases and do not allow recognition of new pathogens transmitted by ticks. ticks. These limitations have led researchers to explore new and innovative diagnoses with different platforms that could bring clinical benefits in the future.

It is also crucial that scientists develop vaccines to prevent disease, write the authors. . A vaccine against Lyme disease has already been developed, but it has been withdrawn from the market and is no longer available. Future protective measures could include vaccines specifically designed to create an immune response to a pathogen or to target pathogens in the ticks that carry them.

By focusing research on the epidemiology of tick-borne diseases, improving vaccines diagnoses, public health officials and researchers may be able to stem the growing threat that these diseases pose. In the meantime, the authors suggest that health professionals advise their patients to use basic prevention techniques: wear insect repellents, wear long pants when they walk in the woods or work at home. Outside and check the ticks.