Emerging zoonotic pathogens transmitted by neglected arthropod species in Slovakia

The project accepts the WHO challenge and by targeted monitoring it will identify and characterize emerging pathogens of viral, bacterial and parasitic origin with zoonotic potential transmitted by less known (neglected) species of ticks and other arthropods and kept in their hosts in natural outbreaks, which includes four altitude vegetation levels (lowland, hilly, foothill and mountain) in the original forest, agricultural and urban landscape with the predicted occurrence of target vectors and hosts (reptiles, birds and mammals). These studies will also be carried out once in similar model habitats known in the Baltic and Balkans to compare the potential of the possible invasion of new pathogens and vectors into our territory.