Data release: targeted systematic literature search for tick and tick-borne pathogen distributions in six countries in sub-Saharan Africa from 1901 to 2020

Abstract

Background Surveillance data documenting tick and tick-borne disease (TBD) prevalence is needed to develop risk assessments and implement control strategies. Despite extensive research in Africa, there is no standardized, comprehensive review. Methods Here we tackle this knowledge gap, by producing a comprehensive review of research articles on ticks and TBD between 1901 and 2020 in Chad, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Over 8356 English language articles were recovered. Our search strategy included 19 related MeSH terms. Articles were reviewed, and 331 met inclusion criteria. Articles containing mappable data were compiled into a standardized data schema, georeferenced, and uploaded to VectorMap. Results Tick and pathogen matrixes were created, providing information on vector distributions and tick–pathogen associations within the six selected African countries. Conclusions These results provide a digital, mappable database of current and historical tick and TBD distributions across six countries in Africa, which can inform specific risk modeling, determine surveillance gaps, and guide future surveillance priorities. Graphical Abstract

Bibliometric analysis for the identification of main limitations and future directions of vaccines for the control of ticks and tick-borne pathogens in Uganda

“…Ticks and tick-borne diseases (TBD) are a growing threat for human and animal health worldwide with high incidence in Uganda as in other African countries ( Baneth, 2014 ; de la Fuente et al, 2023 ; Lilak et al, 2024 ). Ticks and TBD affect cattle health and production in Uganda with increasing incidence and economic impact ( Kasaija et al, 2021 ).…”

“…In this way, bibliometric quantitative analysis uses mathematical and statistical techniques to measure and evaluate the quantity, quality, structure, and impact of scientific publications and patents in a specific field or subject ( Kokol et al, 2021 ; Miao et al, 2022 ). A recent study on targeted literature search provided information on ticks species and tick-borne pathogens (TBP) in sub-Saharan African countries including Uganda ( Lilak et al, 2024 ).…”