Anderson John F, Magnarelli Louis A
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT 06504, USA.
Infect Dis Clin North Am. 2008 Jun;22(2):195-215, v. doi: 10.1016/j.idc.2007.12.006.
Ticks are among the most significant blood-sucking arthropods worldwide. They transmit various pathogens that can cause disease and death in people, domesticated animals, and wildlife. Ticks have several morphologic features and physiologic mechanisms that facilitate host selection, ingestion of vertebrate blood, mating, survival, and reproduction. Although the natural history of ticks varies considerably among species, these arthropods are well-adapted to survive in tropical, temperate, and even subarctic habitats. Key factors, including the reversion of agricultural lands to forests and a close association between people and ticks, have greatly increased the risk of tick bite and human disease.
蜱虫是全球最重要的吸血节肢动物之一。它们传播各种病原体，可导致人类、家畜和野生动物患病甚至死亡。蜱虫具有多种形态特征和生理机制，有助于宿主选择、摄取脊椎动物血液、交配、生存和繁殖。尽管不同种类蜱虫的自然史差异很大，但这些节肢动物非常适应在热带、温带甚至亚北极栖息地生存。包括农田退耕还林以及人与蜱虫的密切接触等关键因素，大大增加了蜱虫叮咬和人类患病的风险。
