Pleading for a cross-disciplinary conversation: Range expansion of native and invasive ticks and ensuing public health and veterinary challenges

The introduction of invasive tick vectors of bacterial, protozoan, viral, and filarial pathogens responsible for human and veterinary diseases into the United States (U.S.) has accelerated in recent years due to globalization, the frequency of travel, and a rise in legal and illegal animal trade. The range expansion of medically important ticks (blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis; lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum; Gulf Coast tick, Amblyomma maculatum) has accelerated and placed new communities at risk for tick exposure, and novel pathogens associated with these ticks have been discovered in recent decades. Moreover, in recent years, the Asian longhorned tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis, has invaded the U.S. and spread into 19 mostly eastern states. This invasive species interacts with a variety of host species, including humans and domestic and wild animals, and is a vector of numerous disease-causing pathogens in its native range. Its involvement in the transmission of Theileria orientalis Ikeda, a virulent parasite that causes anemia and death in cattle, has been reported in the U.S. Current environmental and climatic conditions favor the establishment and expansion of ticks and tick-borne diseases of public health and veterinary importance. Thus, it is essential for researchers and public and animal health authorities to engage in cross-disciplinary conversation and adopt new concepts relevant for sharing knowledge and developing strategies against tick infestations and tick-borne diseases in humans and animals.