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REVIEW article

Front. Med.
Sec. Infectious Diseases: Pathogenesis and Therapy
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1419575
This article is part of the Research Topic Lyme borreliosis and other tick-borne diseases: Pathogenesis and Therapy View all articles

Aetiologies of bacterial tick-borne febrile illnesses in humans in Africa: Diagnostic limitations and the need for improvement

Provisionally accepted
AbdulRahman Adamu AbdulRahman Adamu 1,2,3Flavia Reyer Flavia Reyer 4Nafiú Lawal Nafiú Lawal 1,2Abdurrahman J. Hassan Abdurrahman J. Hassan 1,5Mustapha U. Imam Mustapha U. Imam 1,6Muhammad B. Bello Muhammad B. Bello 7*Peter Kraiczy Peter Kraiczy 4*
  • 1 Centre for Advanced Medical Research and Training, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria
  • 2 Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria
  • 3 Federal Polytechnic Bali, Taraba State, Nigeria
  • 4 Institute of Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital of Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany
  • 5 Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria
  • 6 Department of Medical Biochemistry, College of Health Sciences, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria
  • 7 Infectious Disease Research Department, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Tick-borne febrile illnesses caused by pathogens like Anaplasma spp., Bartonella spp., Borrelia spp., Ehrlichia spp., Coxiella burnetii, Francisella tularensis, and Rickettsia spp., are significant health concerns in Africa. The epidemiological occurrence of these pathogens is closely linked to the habitats of their vectors, prevalent in rural and semi-urban areas where humans and livestock coexist. The overlapping clinical presentations, non-specific symptoms, and limited access to commercially available in vitro diagnostics in resource-limited settings exacerbate the complexity of accurate diagnoses.Diagnostic limitations pose substantial challenges in distinguishing between different etiological agents. This comprehensive survey aimed to extract dataof the existing literature on tickborne febrile illnesses in Africa. Relevant articles including reviews, case studies, and epidemiological data were systematically screened to identify general disease patterns, diagnostic challenges, and relevant tick-borne pathogens affecting human populations in Africa. Furthermore, here we present an up-to-date view of the most relevant pathogens transmitted to humans by hematophagousticks and valuable insights into the intricate landscape of tick-borne illnesses in Africa which highlight the urgency for improved diagnostics and to alert health professionals to understand, manage, and control of these complex human infectious diseases.This review aimed to systematically extract and analyze existing literature on tick-borne febrile illnesses in Africa, highlighting the diagnostic challenges and presenting an up-to-date overview of the most relevant pathogens affecting human populations.

    Keywords: Africa, Zoonoses, Tick-borne disease, Aetiologies, Human health, in vitroin vitro diagnostics

    Received: 18 Apr 2024; Accepted: 19 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Adamu, Reyer, Lawal, Hassan, Imam, Bello and Kraiczy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Muhammad B. Bello, Infectious Disease Research Department, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
    Peter Kraiczy, Institute of Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital of Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.