Horizontal Research Themes

The initiative also focuses on horizontal research themes, which cut across all specialized Working Groups and target underexplored aspects of vector ecology and biology. These themes highlight regions, organisms, and emerging topics that currently lack comprehensive study, ensuring that knowledge gaps are addressed systematically.

Key areas of focus include:

• Tick-associated organisms: Understanding the ecological distribution, host interactions, and environmental factors that influence tick populations, as well as their role in transmitting a variety of vector-associated organisms.
• Flying insect vectors: Examining the biology, population expansion, and ecological interactions of mosquitoes, sandflies, and biting midges, including how environmental changes affect their spread and activity.
• Flea-associated organisms: Investigating flea populations, species diversity, and their role in hosting and transmitting underexplored organisms across urban, rural, and wildlife ecosystems.
• Rare and emerging vector-associated organisms: Monitoring and characterizing species or strains with limited existing data, restricted geographic records, or poorly understood ecological interactions, ensuring that emerging patterns are identified and shared promptly.

A dedicated cross-cutting team coordinates these themes, integrating findings from all Working Groups, harmonizing research methods, and distributing validated knowledge across the network. This approach ensures that even the least-studied vectors and associated organisms are included in broader research efforts, fostering comprehensive, ecosystem-wide understanding and enabling coordinated analysis across multiple regions.