How food is shared inside ant colonies has long been invisible in real time. Researchers in Japan have now used a highly sensitive radioactive imaging technique to watch food move from ant to ant, minute by minute. The method reveals unexpected patterns in how resources spread through a group and could help scientists detect early warning signs of stress or imbalance in insect societies, crucial to ecosystems and agriculture.

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region faces considerable challenges from ticks and tick-borne diseases (TBDs), exacerbated by climate change and its impact on human and animal health, as well as overall productivity. To address these interconnected issues, the United Arab Emirates University, located in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates (UAE), hosted a multinational, transdisciplinary One Health symposium on climate change, ticks, and tick-borne diseases. The event brought together experts from across the region and beyond, featuring seven invited speakers who explored a wide range of topics, including climate change, TBDs of humans and animals, tick research in the UAE, and the One Health approach. The symposium highlighted major knowledge and research gaps, particularly in underexplored areas such as acaricide resistance, tick vaccine development, tick–pathogen interactions, wildlife–livestock interfaces, and the circulation and movement of tick-borne pathogens across the region. Discussions underscored the heavy burden of ticks and TBDs in the MENA region and their complex economic and public health implications. Participants emphasized the need for regional collaboration, enhanced tick surveillance, pathogen detection, and integrated management strategies. The symposium also encouraged the establishment of future alliances and partnerships among universities, government departments, and research institutions to foster joint research projects, resource sharing, and knowledge exchange. Within the One Health paradigm, participants concluded that regional priorities should focus on identifying and understanding tick-related problems, strengthening cross-sectoral cooperation, utilizing regional expertise and infrastructure, and engaging all stakeholders including the public in sustainable tick and TBD management. This collaborative approach is essential to mitigate the multifaceted challenges posed by ticks, tick-borne pathogens, and a changing climate in the MENA region.

Background

Ticks are key vectors of zoonotic diseases in the Northern Hemisphere, including China, yet surveillance and public awareness remain limited. While global studies address risk perception, similar research in China, especially with spatial or longitudinal detail, is scarce. This study assesses tick-borne disease risk perception, influencing factors, and spatial variation in Northeast China and Nei Mongol Zizhiqu (also known as Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region) to inform targeted interventions.

Methods

In 2019, a cross-sectional questionnaire surveyed 4000 adults in Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, and Nei Mongol Zizhiqu using multi-stage sampling. Knowledge was assessed in four domains: tick biology/ecology, bite treatment, tick-borne diseases, and bite prevention, alongside socio-demographic and behavioral data. Descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression identified knowledge levels and associated factors.

Results

Knowledge of tick biology was relatively high (1830/4000, 45.8% with high knowledge), but awareness of bite treatment, diseases, and especially prevention was low (31.5% with high tick-borne disease knowledge; 21.6% with high prevention knowledge), even among high-risk groups. Urban residents had higher knowledge than those in rural or remote areas. Frequent woodland visits and prior tick bites increased knowledge of tick biology (regression coefficients: 0.311 and 0.387, both P < 0.001) but not prevention. Education and outdoor activity showed mixed associations with knowledge domains.

Conclusion

Major gaps exist in public knowledge of tick-borne diseases, particularly regarding prevention, with notable disparities across regions and risk groups. Targeted, region-specific interventions are urgently needed to improve awareness and protection, especially in high-risk and low-awareness areas.