The ICTTD-3 is a Coordinated Action (CA) financially supported by INCO, the International Cooperation program of the European Union. The aim of the CA is to support a research program on tick-borne diseases jointly executed by a consortium of 43 institutions in 29 different countries directed by a Steering Committee consisting of:
- Prof. Gervàsio Bechara (Sao Paulo State University, Brazil)
- Prof. Mohamed Darghouth (Ecole Vétérinaire Nationale, Tunisia)
- Prof. Andrew Tait (Glasgow University, UK)
- Prof. Virgilio do Rosario (Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal)
- Prof. Jabber Ahmed (Forschungsinstitut Borstel, Germany)
- Prof. Frans Jongejan (Utrecht University, the Netherlands and University of Pretoria, South Africa) (coordinator)
A newsletter, edited by Prof. Gerrit Uilenberg who is assisted by a team of 12 co-editors, is published three times a year by the ICTTD and contains the latest information on publications concerning ticks and tick-borne diseases. Electronic copies are freely available online as well and can be found in the archive section of the project website.
The CA will focus on tick-host-pathogen interactions to identify concrete means of control that reduce the prevalence of tick-borne diseases in (sub)tropical countries. The current ICTTD-3 program is a continuation of ICTTD-1 (1996-2000) and ICTTD-2 (2000-2004) and has developed into a large consortium of researchers working on ticks and tick-borne diseases, with over 1000 registered scientists worldwide. In ICTTD-3, five working groups have been created:
- Database (THPbase) and GIS (Global Information Systems) working group: A cluster of integrated databases for ticks, hosts and pathogens. Prevalence data on ticks and tick-borne pathogens will be linked to remotely sensed eco-climatic data to create predictive maps for geographical distribution of ticks and diseases in the (sub-tropics)
- Biosystematics Forum: A forum which will discuss, evaluate and recommend changes regarding biosystematics and molecular phylogeny of ticks and tick-borne pathogens
- Molecular Diagnostic Network: Novel molecular diagnostics will be used to conduct comparative epidemiological studies on tick-borne diseases
- Genomics and vaccine design: proteomics data for ticks and tick-borne pathogens will be exploited to design novel integrated vaccine strategies targeting ticks and pathogens to reduce dependency on chemical tick control. The CA will act as a focal point for setting up consortia on novel genomics projects particularly for ticks
- Study group on tick-borne zoonoses: the human medicine section of the consortium, developing a database on zoonotic tick-borne pathogens occurring in the Tropics and Subtropics.
Participants:
| participant | country |
|---|---|
| Argentina | INTA EEA Rafaela |
| Australia | CSIRO Livestock Industries |
| Belgium | Institute of Tropical Medicine, Department of Animal Health |
| Brazil | Universidade de São Paulo |
| Universidade Estadual Paulista | |
| Burkina Faso | Centre International de Recherche - Développement sur l’Elevage en zone Subhumide |
| China | Animal Quarantine Institute Ministry of Agriculture |
| Huazhong Agricultural University | |
| Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences | |
| Czech Republic | Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic |
| National Institute of Public Health | |
| Ethiopia | National Animal Health Research Centre |
| France | Centre International en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement |
| The Gambia | International Trypanotolerance Centre |
| Germany | Forschungszentrum Borstel |
| Ludwig-Maximilians - Universitaet Muenchen | |
| Hungary | Centre for Tick-borne diseases |
| India | Indian Veterinary Research Institute |
| Italy | Facoltà di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Torino |
| Mozambique | Faculdade de Veterinaria da Universidade Eduardo Mondlane |
| Netherlands | Isogen Lifescience |
| Utrecht University | |
| Portugal | Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnologica |
| Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa | |
| Senegal | Institut Sénégalais de recherches Agricoles |
| Slovakia | Slovak Academy of Sciences |
| Slovenia | Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical Faculty of Ljubljana |
| South Africa | Agricultural Research Council, Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute |
| University of Pretoria | |
| Spain | Universidad de Extremadura |
| University of Castilla La Mancha | |
| University of Zaragoza | |
| Sudan | University of Bahr El Ghazal |
| Switzerland | Universität Bern |
| Université de Neuchâtel | |
| Tanzania | Sokoine University of Agriculture |
| Thailand | Kamphaengsaen Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratorium, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kasetsart University |
| Turkey | Adnan Menderes University |
| Uganda | Makerere University |
| United Kingdom | Roslin Institute |
| University of Edinburgh | |
| University of Glasgow | |
| University of Oxford | |
| University of Surrey |
