Tick metagenomes database

Ticks are obligate blood-feeding ectoparasites of vertebrates, relying on their hosts’ blood for nutrition and reproduction. They are also important vectors for a variety of zoonotic pathogens that can infect both animals and humans. With rapid changes in urbanization, deforestation, climate change, and interactions between humans, animals, and their habitats, tick-borne diseases (TBDs) pose an increasingly unpredictable threat to human health. These factors have led to a rising number of cases of TBDs, drawing widespread global attention. Ticks are considered the second most important arthropod disease vectors after mosquitoes because they can simultaneously carry multiple microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and eukaryotic parasites. However, our understanding of the tick microbiome remains limited, primarily due to the lack of comprehensive reference genome collections for microorganisms. This limitation hinders the in-depth exploration and utilization of microbiome data. Additionally, the lack of systematic records of microbiome data makes it challenging to fully understand the complex relationships between pathogenic or non-pathogenic, known or unknown, endogenous or exogenous microorganisms carried by ticks.