This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Climate change is affecting not only our weather but also the distribution of parasites and the diseases they can carry. One example is the growing presence of Hyalomma ticks in parts of Europe where they were previously uncommon.
These ticks are of particular interest because they can transmit Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV), a pathogen that can cause serious, sometimes life-threatening illness in humans. Hyalomma ticks are typically found in warm and dry regions of Africa, Asia and southern Europe. However, they have increasingly been reported farther north, including in Central Europe.
Migratory birds may play an important role in their spread: immature ticks can attach to birds and travel long distances before dropping off. As adults, they usually feed on larger animals such as horses, cattle and sheep. This means they can appear in new areas even when local conditions are not yet suitable for permanent establishment.
To better understand the occurrence of these ticks in Hungary, the Eco-epidemiology Research Group at the Institute of Evolution, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, Budapest, launched the TickWatcher citizen science program in 2021. The project invites members of the public to report unusual ticks found on themselves, their pets, livestock or in their surroundings. Reports can be submitted through a dedicated website or, since April 2025, via the free PragmaTick mobile application, which is available in 22 languages.
Participants can upload photographs for expert identification and, whenever possible, are asked to send the specimens to the laboratory for further examination. The findings are published in the journal Current Research in Parasitology & Vector-Borne Diseases. The program has attracted considerable public interest.
Between 2021 and November 2025, the website received more than 107,000 visits, the mobile application was downloaded 2,500 times, and researchers received 1,014 tick submissions. Among these, 29 Hyalomma ticks were confirmed across Hungary. Eighteen specimens were sent to the laboratory, where researchers identified five Hyalomma marginatum and 13 Hyalomma rufipes.
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