Project leader: Snežana Tomanović, PhD, Research Professor

Project collaborators: Ratko Sukara, PhD, Research associate, Darko Mihaljica, PhD, Research associate, Gorana Veinović, PhD, Research associate, Velantina Ćirković, PhD, Research associate.

Duration of the project: 2023-2026

Leading institution: Institute for Medical Research, National Institute for Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade

Description:

TalkToTick is a project that answers the question of to what extent ticks and tick-borne pathogens present in a specific region pose a risk to human health. Climate change, intensification of transport, and migration undoubtedly lead to changes in the epidemiology of vector-borne diseases. Globally, and in our region, there has been a discrepancy between the registered number and diversity of ticks, the pathogens they transmit, and confirmed clinical cases of the disease. It is believed that many cases of tick-borne diseases remain unrecognized or misdiagnosed. The main objective of our project is to develop adequate approaches for diagnosis, therapy, and prevention of tick-borne diseases based on the knowledge of local ecology, epidemiology, and geographic distribution of ticks and tick-borne pathogens. Although the TalkToTick project is conceived in Serbia as a model for the region, our ambition goes beyond the local interest. The knowledge and results we generate during the project implementation are extremely important for all regions with a similar eco-epidemiological situation (Southern Europe, neighboring countries), and as a conceptual approach, our model can be applied anywhere. The project is largely focused on citizens too. The most important and economical form of prevention of tick-borne diseases in humans are personal protection measures and to increase the effectiveness of these measures, it is necessary to inform, educate, and actively involve citizens.