Chapter 6 - Tick-borne diseases of humans

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the numerous tick-borne diseases that affect humans. Critical among these are Lyme borreliosis, tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), babesiosis, severe fever and thrombocytopenia, and Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever. This group is dominated by pathogenic bacteria and viruses that cause severe disease and occasionally deaths in humans that are infected. In most cases, transmission occurs during tick feeding, but for others, infection can occur through inhalation of the pathogen or consumption of contaminated food products, and the tick does not play a direct role. The measures required to prevent transmission of tick-borne diseases range from prevention of tick bites through application of tick repellants and wearing clothing to prevent tick access to the skin, through to vaccination. In some regions of the world, the risk of exposure to a disease such as TBE is sufficiently high that vaccination is provided by the government in a bid to reduce the burden of disease. Most bacterial and protozoal pathogens transmitted by ticks are treated with antibiotics. However, for some tick-borne diseases, effective vaccines have not been developed and particularly for viruses, drug-based treatments are not available.