The journal covers a broad spectrum and brings together various disciplines,
for example, zoology, microbiology, molecular biology, genetics, mathematical
modelling, veterinary and human medicine. Multidisciplinary approaches and the
use of conventional and novel methods/methodologies (in the field and in the
laboratory) are crucial for deeper understanding of the natural processes and
human behaviour/activities that result in human or animal diseases and in economic
effects of ticks and tick-borne pathogens. Such understanding is essential for
management of tick populations and tick-borne diseases in an effective and environmentally
acceptable manner. The journal covers the following topics:
Ticks: biosystematics/taxonomy, morphology, evolution, ecology, physiology/biochemistry,
behaviour, molecular biology, genomics/proteomics, and control
Ecology/ecoepidemiology of tick-borne diseases: vector ticks and reservoir
hosts, the mechanisms and processes determining their abundance and distribution,
the occurrence and prevalence of pathogens in tick and tick-host populations,
tick-host-pathogen interactions at the ecological level and their dependence
upon environmental factors, natural focality, and risk assessments of exposure
to ticks and the occurrence of tick-borne diseases
Tick-borne pathogens: viruses, bacteria, and parasites, their biology in
ticks and vertebrates, pathogen-tick and pathogen-host interactions on the molecular
and cellular levels, transmission, coinfection, genomics/proteomics, and biosystematics/taxonomy
Tick-borne diseases in domestic animals and wildlife: epidemiology, diagnosis,
immunology, treatment, vaccination, control/management, and economics
Tick-borne human diseases: epidemiology, diagnosis, immunology, treatment,
vaccination, socioeconomics, and public health
In addition, methodological papers on all these areas will be published as well
as timely reviews on vectors and vector-borne diseases in which tick biology
or tick-borne diseases are addressed.