Science AI Journal
Immunology and Microbiology · Research topic

Open research questions in Vector-borne infectious diseases

31 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 620 Vector-borne infectious diseases papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • Third, genomic character- ization was limited to analysis of the S segment, whereas full-genome sequencing would provide more comprehensive insight into genetic diversity, reassortment events, and phylogeographic relationships of circulating strains. Towards a sustainable one health approach to Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever pre- vention: focus areas and gaps in knowledge.

    Integrated surveillance, virus isolation and phylogenetic characterization of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus in Central Kazakhstan · 2026 · DOI

  • Background Previously, at least ten spotted fever group Rickettsia (SFGR) species were detected in wildlife and hard ticks in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR, northwestern China), whereas human infection remains scarcely studied.

    Clinical characteristics and epidemiological analysis of 23 cases of tick-borne rickettsiosis in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region · 2026 · DOI

  • Introduction: Tick-borne-disease (TBD) risk is high along the Appalachian Trail (AT), yet little is known about how long-distance hikers practice recommended prevention behaviors.

    Tick-Borne Disease Prevention in Long-Distance Appalachian Trail Hikers: A Health Belief Model Approach · 2026 · DOI

  • CHSs are essential for cuticle formation and peritrophic matrix (PM) biogenesis and represent validated targets of several acaricides, yet their roles in ticks remain poorly defined.

    Disruption of chitin synthases impairs tick feeding and reproduction, validating a broad-spectrum acaricide target · 2026 · DOI

  • The use of new technologies such as multiomics biomarkers, metagenomics, T-cell assays, and AI-enhanced diagnostics is promising but has not yet been tested in a prospective multicentre study.

    Epidemiology, diagnosis and emerging therapies for Lyme disease of the Northern Hemisphere · 2026 · DOI

  • This study had several limitations. Participants were enrolled with signs and symptoms of early LD at clinical sites on Long Island and in Central Wisconsin, representing only two different U.S. geographic regions. Also, due to the variability in presentation of EM, it is possible that not all of the skin lesions suspected to be EM were actually EM (4). Similarly, constitutional symptoms attributed to early LD in this study are non-specific, and it’s likely that not all symptoms present at enrollment were due to early LD. Testing was performed at three different laboratories, which could have introduced variability to the results. Zeus second-tier testing was only performed on cases classified as LC Lyme and endemic controls, and (unlike the other assays) was not performed on the 62 cases that were not classified as laboratory confirmed by LDB. Finally, samples were not originally tested following the two-tiered algorithm protocols. Rather, all samples were tested using first- and second-tier tests, regardless of the first-tier test outcome, which is not standard practice. However, the two-tiered testing algorithm results were applied retrospectively to model standard practice.

    Evaluation of standard and modified two-tiered testing algorithms using well-characterized early Lyme disease samples · 2026 · DOI

  • The study confirms an enzootic focus of Theileria orientalis in Herzegovina driven by subclinical infections suggesting endemic stability, but does not investigate the specific vector competence of local Ixodes ricinus populations or identify which MPSP (major piroplasm surface protein) types are circulating in this focus.

    First detection of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and enzootic focus of Theileria orientalis in cattle from Bosnia and Herzegovina · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper demonstrates that microscopic diagnostics have limitations compared to PCR for detecting piroplasms in cattle, but does not quantify the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity differential between these methods for the specific Theileria orientalis and Babesia species detected in Bosnia and Herzegovina cattle.

    First detection of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and enzootic focus of Theileria orientalis in cattle from Bosnia and Herzegovina · 2026 · DOI

  • The study identifies a distinct ruminant-associated group I lineage of Anaplasma phagocytophilum ankA gene in the Bosnian isolate, but does not characterize the wildlife–Ixodes ricinus cycles that may facilitate spillover to cattle and humans. Systematic surveillance of wildlife reservoirs and tick vector populations in Bosnia and Herzegovina is needed to assess this spillover risk.

    First detection of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and enzootic focus of Theileria orientalis in cattle from Bosnia and Herzegovina · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research should focus on the exact role of tick-derived molecules in driving sensitization to help develop targeted preventive strategies.

    Tick-Induced Cutaneous and Allergic Manifestations: Differential Diagnosis Between Lyme Borreliosis and Alpha-Gal Syndrome · 2026 · DOI

  • turanicus stands out the potential vectors, while further investigation into the implications of diverse range of arthropods in epidemiology of this bacterium.

    Rickettsia massiliae and its public health significance across Palearctic and Oriental regions: a scoping review · 2026 · DOI

  • Despite sporadic reports based on conventional diagnostic methods, the true prevalence and epidemiological status of the disease in India remain poorly understood.

    Molecular prevalence and clinical profiles of canine babesiosis in northern India · 2026 · DOI

  • While Amblyomma helvolum is a well-known specialist parasite of reptiles, particularly the Komodo dragon ( Varanus komodoensis ), its infestation of atypical hosts remains poorly documented.

    Human infestation by Amblyomma helvolum in the Komodo dragon habitat: implications for wildlife conservation · 2026 · DOI

  • microplus as the authors could not establish it), and an unidentified Amblyomma species (Kenya) (4, 7, 13, 18, 30).

    Detection and phylogenetic characterization of Jingmen tick virus in <i>Amblyomma mixtum</i> ticks from Costa Rica · 2026 · DOI

  • typhi in the Turkistan and Almaty oblast of Kazakhstan, which in turn indicates an urgent need for further study of the role of endemic typhus in the structure of fever of unknown origin in the southern region of Kazakhstan.

    Analysis of seroprevalence of antibodies to Rickettsia typhi in the population of the southern region of Kazakhstan · 2019 · DOI

  • It seems that parasitism of a tick on another conspecific specimen, when at least one of them is infected by a microorganism, may be a yet poorly explored route of transmission of pathogens or symbionts between the ticks.

    Conspecific hyperparasitism in the <i>Hyalomma excavatum</i> tick and considerations on thebiological and epidemiological implications of this phenomenon · 2019 · DOI

  • Some authors have purported an etiological role of Spiroplasma in causing transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), but convincing proof is lacking.

    Spiroplasma – an emerging arthropod-borne pathogen? · 2015 · DOI

  • Although a county-level vector distribution map exists for the United States, its accuracy is limited by arbitrary categories of its reported presence.

    A climate-based model predicts the spatial distribution of the Lyme disease vector Ixodes scapularis in the United States. · 2003 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Vector-borne infectious diseases

Most recent work

Find a gap in your own Vector-borne infectious diseases sub-topic

This page shows what the Vector-borne infectious diseases literature already flags as unresolved. To narrow it to your specific question, run the guided finder — it searches the gap library on demand and checks candidates against 250M+ OpenAlex works.

Open the Research Gap Finder →

Related topics in Immunology and Microbiology

Immune cells in cancer
82 open questions
T-cell and B-cell Immunology
75 open questions
Psoriasis: Treatment and Pathogenesis
70 open questions
Antibiotic Use and Resistance
68 open questions
Reproductive tract infections research
66 open questions
interferon and immune responses
58 open questions
HIV Research and Treatment
56 open questions
Immune Cell Function and Interaction
54 open questions
31 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 620 Vector-borne infectious diseases papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

Tools for your next paper

Gaps & Literature SearchFind open questions in any field — 120,000+ open gaps mined from our own library.Pre-CheckIs your paper ready? A Tier 1–5 acceptance probability in seconds.Journal FinderA ranked shortlist of target journals from a 17,500-venue index.Duplicate Publication CheckerCheck prior-publication & salami-slicing risk across 8 sources.Citation GeneratorFreeA DOI or title → APA, MLA, Vancouver, Chicago, BibTeX, RIS. No signup.Graphical Abstract MakerFreeTurn your findings into a colorblind-safe graphical abstract.

Compare the category — Honest roundups of the AI research tools, ours listed alongside the alternatives.

Command palette

Jump anywhere, run any action.