Emerging horizons for tick-borne pathogens: from the ‘one pathogen–one disease’ vision to the pathobiome paradigm

Ticks as vectors of several notorious zoonotic pathogens, represent an important and increasing threat for human, animal health in Europe. Recent application of new technology revealed the complexity of the tick microbiome that might impact upon its vectorial capacity. Appreciation of these complex systems is expanding our vision of tick-borne pathogens leading us to evolve a more integrated view that embraces the “pathobiome” representing the pathogenic agent integrated within its abiotic and biotic environments. In this review, we will explore how this new vision will revolutionize our understanding of tick-borne diseases. We will discuss the implications in terms of research approach for the future in order to efficiently prevent and control the threat posed by ticks.

Incongruence between clinicians’ assessment and self-reported functioning is related with psychopathology among patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal disorders

In a previous exploratory study we observed no relevant differences in psychopathology, personality, and functioning between inpatients diagnosed with gastrointestinal motor disorders (GMDs) or functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGDs) [1]. However, we observed higher levels of incongruence between clinician-assessed performance status and patients’ self-reported levels of functioning among patients diagnosed with FGDs. Likewise, research in other medical conditions has shown incongruences between self-reported and clinician-reported or objective measures [2]. Furthermore, in a study on chronic depression, the authors found that discrepancies between patients’ and physicians’ assessments of medical comorbidities were related to higher levels of depressive symptomatology [3]. In this line, the aim of this study was to explore whether the inconsistencies between clinician-assessed and patient self-reported levels of functioning could be related to psychopathology among patients admitted for evaluation of gastrointestinal motility.