Addressing knowledge gaps in the management of ticks and tick-borne diseases necessitates a One Health approach

Authors: ELEFTHERIOU, ANDREAS - Washington State University; SHAW, DANA - Washington State University; BRAYTON, KELLY - Washington State University; PARK, JASON - Washington State University; Poh, Karen

Submitted to: American Journal of Veterinary Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/28/2026
Publication Date: 5/13/2026
Citation: Eleftheriou, A., Shaw, D., Brayton, K., Park, J., Poh, K.C. 2026. Addressing knowledge gaps in the management of ticks and tick-borne diseases necessitates a One Health approach. American Journal of Veterinary Research. 87(6).Article.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.26.02.0084

Interpretive Summary: Tick-borne diseases are an increasing threat to both people and animals across North America. While Lyme disease has received the most attention, many other tick-borne illnesses also affect public and animal health. Researchers at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Washington State University study several of these diseases, taking a "One Health" approach that recognizes the connections among human, animal, and environmental health. In this review, the authors summarize current knowledge on key tick-borne diseases in the United States and highlight important gaps in knowledge. These gaps include how ticks live and spread, how diseases move through animal and human populations, and how best to prevent and control ticks and the illnesses they carry. The companion Currents in One Health article by Poh et al. in JAVMA presents information on the epidemiology, ecology, and management of tick species that will be of most relevance to the One Health practitioner.

Technical Abstract: Tick-borne diseases of animals and humans are becoming more problematic in the United States. Consequently, there have been numerous investigations into several tick-borne disease systems, with the Lyme borreliosis system being the most investigated. At the College of Veterinary Medicine at Washington State University, we investigate a variety of tick-borne disease systems relevant to animal and human health. Through our collective multi-disciplinary expertise, our goal here was to showcase what is known about systems we are most familiar with and outline research gaps in tick biology, tick-borne disease epidemiology, and management of ticks and tick-borne diseases with a focus on the United States. The companion Currents in One Health by Poh et al. JAVMA, includes information on the epidemiology, ecology, and management of tick species and associated diseases that have the most relevance to the One Health practitioner.