Molecular characterization of ticks and tick-borne pathogens

Ticks and their vertebrate hosts often carry several pathogens simultaneously, which either belong to different or to the same genera. Conventional methods (such as blood smear examination or tick salivary gland staining) are often unable to discriminate between pathogens. Therefore, molecular methods for the detection and differentiation of tick-borne pathogens are increasingly used. Technical problems still remain to identify pathogens within tick tissues, or within host animals when infection rates are very low. Recently we developed an integrated approach to identify several pathogens with only one molecular test. This approach, the reverse line blot hybridization (RLB) reduces costs of analysis, gives quicker results, and allows standardized inter-laboratory comparisons. Finally, this paper also focuses on the molecular diagnostic techniques currently used in the laboratories of the Mediterranean countries.