Topics and Trends in Most Cited Vector-borne infectious diseases Papers

Ranked by citations 18 months after publication

Class of 2026 (Papers Published in 2024)

What topics and trends defined most-cited Vector-borne infectious diseases research in the Class of 2026?

Research in vector-borne infectious diseases is transitioning from broad Lyme disease surveillance toward spatial epidemiology and multi-pathogen risk assessment. Species distribution modeling and tick-borne encephalitis saw substantial gains in top-cited literature, alongside rising focus on vector ticks like Ixodes ricinus and emerging hemotropic pathogens.

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Updated July 31, 2026

At a glance

Field
Vector-borne infectious diseases
Cohort label
Class of 2026 (2024 publications)
Papers analyzed
4,259
Papers ranked
20
Top topics in ranked papers
Lyme disease, Ixodes ricinus, Borrelia burgdorferi, species distribution modeling, tick-borne encephalitis
Publication window
Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024
Eligibility
Research articles; reviews excluded
Citation window
18 months post-publication
18m citation range
18–65
Data source
OpenAlex · Retrieved Jul 2026
License
CC BY 4.0

Rankings

20 papers ranked by 18-month citation count

#1 of 4,259
6518m citations

The Rhipicephalus sanguineus group: updated list of species, geographical distribution, and vector competence

Filipe Dantas-Torres et al.Parasites & Vectors202410.1186/s13071-024-06572-3

Filipe Dantas‐TorresOswaldo Cruz Foundation, Brazil

Rhipicephalus sanguineusRhipicephalus linnaeiRhipicephalus rutilusRhipicephalus secundusRhipicephalus afranicusRhipicephalus hibericustick taxonomyspecies revalidationMorphological characterizationphylogenetic relationshipsvector competencegeographic distributiontick-borne pathogenszoonotic disease vectors
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#2 of 4,259
4218m citations

Surveillance for Lyme Disease After Implementation of a Revised Case Definition — United States, 2022

Kiersten J Kugeler et al.MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report202410.15585/mmwr.mm7306a1

Kiersten J. KugelerCDC, United States

Lyme diseaseBorreliatick-borne zoonosisvector-borne diseaserevised surveillance case definitionlaboratory evidencehigh-incidence jurisdictionsNortheast regionmid-Atlantic regionUpper Midwest regioncase reportingsurveillance methodsage-specific incidenceadults aged ≥65 yearsstandardization of surveillance
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#3 of 4,259
2818m citations

Autoantibodies neutralizing type I IFNs underlie severe tick-borne encephalitis in ∼10% of patients

Astrid Marchal, Andrea Fortova, Michaela Berankova, Alessandro Borghesi, Anne Puel, Paul Bastard, Aurélie Velay, Martin Martinot, Yves Hansmann, Judith H Aberle, Daniel Ruzek, Aurélie Cobat, Shen-Ying Zhang, Jean-Laurent Casanova et al.The Journal of Experimental Medicine202410.1084/jem.20240637

Astrid Marchal, Andrea Fortova, Michaela Berankova, Alessandro Borghesi, Anne Puel, Paul Bastard, Aurélie Velay, Martin Martinot, Yves Hansmann, Judith H Aberle, Daniel Ruzek, Aurélie Cobat, Shen-Ying Zhang, Jean-Laurent CasanovaInstitut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), France

tick-borne encephalitistick-borne encephalitis virusautoantibodies neutralizing type I interferonsIFN-α2IFN-βIFN-ωsevere encephalitisAsymptomatic infectionodds ratios for severe TBE100 pg/ml IFN-α2 neutralization10 ng/ml IFN-α2 neutralizationhospitalized TBE patientsEuropean TBE cohortsAustria cohortCzech Republic cohortFrance cohorttype I IFN immunitytick-borne transmissionTBE disease severity stratification
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#4 of 4,259
2718m citations

Role of vector phenotypic plasticity in disease transmission as illustrated by the spread of dengue virus by Aedes albopictus

Dominic P Brass et al.Nature Communications202410.1038/s41467-024-52144-5

Dominic P. BrassUK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, United Kingdom

Aedes albopictusdengue virusvector phenotypic plasticityvector-borne transmissionstage-structured modelphenotypically structured modelenvironmentally driven plasticitydelayed phenotypic responsemosquito trait-abundance dynamicsinvasive mosquito vectortemporal disease dynamicsspatial disease dynamicsenvironmental variationpopulation density dependencebiotic and abiotic environmentsdengue outbreak predictionearly warning systemsvector trait relationshipsdisease risk prediction
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#5 of 4,259
2518m citations

Tafenoquine-Atovaquone Combination Achieves Radical Cure and Confers Sterile Immunity in Experimental Models of Human Babesiosis

Pratap Vydyam et al.The Journal of Infectious Diseases202410.1093/infdis/jiad315

Choukri Ben MamounYale University, United States

tafenoquineatovaquonehuman babesiosisBabesia microtiBabesia duncani8-aminoquinolineatovaquone resistanceradical curesterile immunityintraerythrocytic parasitesrecrudescencecombination antibiotic therapyantimalarial drug repurposingtick-borne diseasesprotective immunityparasite clearancelethal infection model
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#6 of 4,259
2518m citations

The roles of habitat isolation, landscape connectivity and host community in tick-borne pathogen ecology

Grace Shaw et al.Royal Society Open Science202410.1098/rsos.240837

Andrea SweiSan Francisco State University, United States

habitat fragmentationlandscape connectivityIxodes pacificustick-borne pathogensdisease vector movementreservoir host movementcost-distance analysispathogen prevalencepathogen diversitypathogen distributionwildlife communitytick abundancepathogen richnessurban matrixhabitat isolationWest Coast tick-borne diseases
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#8 of 4,259
2318m citations

Rapid single-tier serodiagnosis of Lyme disease

Rajesh Ghosh, Hyou-Arm Joung et al.Nature Communications202410.1038/s41467-024-51067-5

Aydogan Özcan, Dino Di CarloUniversity of California, Los Angeles, United States

Lyme diseasepoint-of-care serological testingBorrelia burgdorferisynthetic peptidespaper-based platformantigenic epitopesIgG antibodiesIgM antibodiesmultiplexed panelmachine learning diagnostic modeltwo-tier testingCDC Lyme disease repositoryearly treatment diagnosisimmune monitoringcross-reactive antibodies
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#10 of 4,259
2218m citations

Optimisation of dose level and vaccination schedule for the VLA15 Lyme borreliosis vaccine candidate among healthy adults: two randomised, observer-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre, phase 2 studies

Nicole Bézay et al.The Lancet Infectious Diseases202410.1016/s1473-3099(24)00175-0

Susanne Eder-LingelbachValneva Austria, Austria

VLA15Lyme disease vaccinedose optimizationvaccination schedulephase 2 trialobserver-blind designplacebo-controlled studyHealthy adultsMulticentre trialimmunogenicitysafety endpointsdose-response relationshipprime-boost regimenantibody titersOspABorrelia burgdorferivaccine efficacyadverse events
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#11 of 4,259
2218m citations

MOIRE: a software package for the estimation of allele frequencies and effective multiplicity of infection from polyallelic data

Maxwell Murphy et al.Bioinformatics202410.1093/bioinformatics/btae619

Maxwell MurphyUniversity of California, Berkeley, United States

MOIREallele frequency estimationmultiplicity of infectionwithin-host relatednesspolyallelic dataBayesian approachmalaria parasite geneticsco-infectionmicrohaplotypesgenotyping panelsexperimental errorwithin-host diversitytransmission dynamicspopulation structurePlasmodiumNamibia malaria studygenetic diversity metrics
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#12 of 4,259
2218m citations

Nature’s defense against emerging neurodegenerative threats: Dynamic simulation, PCA, DCCM identified potential plant-based antiviral lead targeting borna disease virus nucleoprotein

Noimul Hasan Siddiquee et al.PLoS ONE202410.1371/journal.pone.0310802

Noimul Hasan Siddiquee, Md. Ifteker Hossain, Farhana Mansoor Priya, Saira Azam, Md. Enamul Kabir Talukder, Dipta Barua, Salina Malek, Niloy Saha, Sidra Tul Muntaha, R. Walker Paul, Israt Jahan Ritu, Farjana Islam Tuly, Abir HossainNoakhali Science and Technology University, Bangladesh

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#13 of 4,259
2118m citations

Neuroinvasive West Nile Virus Infection in Immunosuppressed and Immunocompetent Adults

Amir A Mbonde et al.JAMA Network Open202410.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.4294

Marie GrillMayo Clinic, United States

West Nile virusneuroinvasive West Nile virusimmunosuppressionCulex mosquitomeningoencephalitisencephalitismyeloradiculitisaltered mental statusmyoclonusthalamic T2 FLAIR hyperintensitiesmagnetic resonance imagingintensive care unit admissionmechanical ventilation90-day mortalityGlasgow Coma Scaleintravenous immunoglobulinarboviral disease
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#14 of 4,259
2118m citations

Multiple factors affecting Ixodes ricinus ticks and associated pathogens in European temperate ecosystems (northeastern France)

Nathalie Boulanger et al.Scientific Reports202410.1038/s41598-024-59867-x

Nathalie Boulanger, Pascale BaudaUniversité de Strasbourg, France

Ixodes ricinustick-borne zoonosisBorrelia burgdorferi sensu latoLyme diseasenegative binomial regressionlimestone-based soilssandstone-based soilsconiferous and mixed standshabitat time dynamicsCervidaeLeporidaeanaplasmosishard tick relapsing fevermachine learning algorithmssoil typeland useforest stand typetemporal dynamics
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#16 of 4,259
1918m citations

The global distribution and the risk prediction of relapsing fever group Borrelia: a data review with modelling analysis

Tian Tang et al.The Lancet Microbe202410.1016/s2666-5247(23)00396-8

Li‐Qun Fang, Wei LiuBeijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, China

relapsing fever group BorreliaBorrelia miyamotoiBorrelia lonestariBorrelia crociduraeBorrelia hermsiiBorrelia recurrentisBorrelia persicamachine learning algorithmsboosted regression treesRandom forestleast absolute shrinkage and selection operator logistic regressionspecies distribution modelingtick vectorsglobal distribution mappingdisease risk predictionBioclimatic variablesannual mean temperaturezoonotic transmissionemerging infectious diseases
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#17 of 4,259
1918m citations

Discovery and characterization of potent broadly neutralizing antibodies from human survivors of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome

Shuo Zhang et al.EBioMedicine202410.1016/j.ebiom.2024.105481

Xiaoyu Xu, Nan Zhang, Wei Liu, Hao LiAcademy of Military Medical Sciences, China

SFTSVbroadly neutralizing antibodiesmemory B cell responsemonoclonal antibodiesglycoprotein NIGHV5-51 germlineIGHV3-30 germlineneutralizing epitopesGn domain Ireceptor binding inhibitionlethal SFTSV infection modelprophylactic protectiontherapeutic protectionphylogenetically distinct SFTSV cladestick-borne phlebovirushuman-to-human transmissionstructural analysis
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#18 of 4,259
1818m citations

Plasmodium falciparum infection in humans and mosquitoes influence natural Anopheline biting behavior and transmission

Christine F Markwalter, Zena Lapp et al.Nature Communications202410.1038/s41467-024-49080-9

Steve M. Taylor, Wendy Prudhomme O’MearaDuke University, United States

Plasmodium falciparumAnopheles biting behaviormosquito biting preferencesqPCR parasite detectionshort-tandem repeat genotypingbloodmeal identificationdiscrete choice modelsbiting rate ratioinfectious reservoirentomological inoculation rateschool-age children transmissioninfected mosquito feeding preferenceheterogeneous biting distributionindoor-resting mosquitoesmalaria transmission dynamicsvector-human contactonward transmissioncohort study Kenya
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#19 of 4,259
1818m citations

Machine learning algorithms for the evaluation of risk by tick-borne pathogens in Europe

Agustín Estrada-Peña et al.Annals of Medicine202410.1080/07853890.2024.2405074

Agustín Estrada‐PeñaUniversity of Zaragoza, Spain

tick-borne pathogensmachine learning algorithmsIxodes ricinusDermacentor reticulatusDermacentor marginatusHyalomma marginatumspecies distribution modelingRandom forestGradient BoostingNeural NetworksNaive BayesAdaBoostland cover variablesland use variablesvertebrate host distributionhabitat fragmentationtrait-matchingearly warning systemstick seasonality
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#20 of 4,259
1818m citations

Molecular and immunological studies on Theileria equi and its vector in Egypt

Reem M Ramadan et al.Experimental and Applied Acarology202410.1007/s10493-024-00933-4

Reem M. RamadanCairo University, Egypt

Theileria equiequine piroplasmosisHyalomma anatolicumHyalomma marginatumRhipicephalus annulatuscox1 gene18S rRNA genephylogenetic analysisneighbor-joining methodconventional PCRoxidative stress markersCATGPxMDASODparasitemiaIFN-γTGF-β1IL-1β cytokinesimmunosuppression
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Dominant research themes and year-over-year shifts in Vector-borne infectious diseases

What Topics Define the Class of 2026?

The Class of 2026 ranking for vector-borne infectious diseases highlights a heavily concentrated research ecosystem centered on tick-borne pathogen transmission, vector ecology, and spatial epidemiology. Lyme disease remains the focal clinical narrative, appearing in 14% of top-cited publications, closely paired with its primary etiological agent Borrelia burgdorferi (8%) and related Borrelia species. Vector biology research is overwhelmingly anchor-driven by Ixodes ricinus (10%), the principal hard tick vector in Europe, alongside expanding investigation into Rhipicephalus sanguineus (6%), reflecting heightened interest in canine and human vector-host dynamics. Beyond classical spirochete surveillance, the field demonstrates a pronounced shift toward predictive ecology and multi-pathogen profiling. Species distribution modeling (8%) emerges as a core computational tool, enabling researchers to map vector habitat suitability and climate-driven range shifts. Concurrently, viral and parasitic co-infections command significant attention, led by tick-borne encephalitis (8%), the intraerythrocytic parasite Babesia microti (6%), and emerging hemoplasmas (6%). Together, these dominant clusters underscore an integrated One Health paradigm that bridges molecular diagnostics, ecological forecasting, and vector management to mitigate rising tick-borne disease burdens globally.

Leading research themes
Leading research themes

How Did Topics Shift from the Class of 2025 to the Class of 2026?

Comparison between the Class of 2025 and Class of 2026 cohorts reveals a marked evolution from descriptive Lyme disease reporting toward quantitative vector dynamics and emerging viral/bacterial co-pathogens. While Lyme disease (declining from 22% to 14% normalized frequency) and Borrelia burgdorferi (dropping from 20% to 8%) previously dominated the top-cited literature, the 2026 cohort reflects a rebalancing of research priorities toward a broader spectrum of tick-borne threats and analytical methodologies. The most prominent growth is led by tick-borne encephalitis, which experienced a four-fold rise in high-impact literature representation (2% to 8%), alongside a three-fold increase for Rhipicephalus sanguineus (2% to 6%). Species distribution modeling doubled in frequency (4% to 8%), highlighting growing reliance on geospatial modeling to predict vector proliferation. Furthermore, novel detection of hemoplasmas (rising from 0% to 6%) and emerging pathogens such as severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV), Ehrlichia canis, and Haemaphysalis longicornis underscores an expanding surveillance frontier. Conversely, broad observational concepts like general geographic range expansion experienced relative decline. This trajectory signals a field maturing from generalized risk awareness to precise, model-driven risk prediction and targeted pathogen intervention.

How topics shifted year over year
How topics shifted year over year
Methodology

PRI identifies high-impact research using a transparent, topic-agnostic framework applied consistently across scientific domains. Bibliographic records are drawn from OpenAlex, including publication dates, citation relationships, and document types.

This ranking covers the Class of 2026 cohort: journal articles published in 2024. Reviews and other non-article document types are excluded to ensure comparability.

Research impact is quantified with an 18-month post-publication citation window—the number of citing works published within 18 months of each paper's publication date. This metric captures early impact while controlling for publication age.

An LLM-based relevance classifier then reviews each candidate's title and abstract to confirm substantive alignment with the target domain. Only papers classified as relevant appear in the final ranking.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459

Full methodologyGitHubbioRxiv preprint

Cite this ranking

Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Vector-borne infectious diseases Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/vector-borne-infectious-diseases/2026. Accessed 2026-07-31.

Methodology
Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459