Research findings

Lutgen D, Peona V, Chase MA, Kakhki NA, Lammers F, de Souza SG, Ducrest AL, Burri M, Andriopoulos P, Lukhele SM, Moysi M, Yohannes E, Abbasov A, Albayrak T, Aliabadian M, Auchli N, Bontzorlos V, Christoforou I, Copete JL, Fulco E, Garcia JT, Javakhishvili Z, Kazazou A, Lei F, Liu Y, Paposhvili N, Patchett R, Péter Á, Ritter R, Sándor AD, Schneider F, Shurulinkov P, Sklyarenko S, Stumberger B, Tagiyev A, Uboldi A, Vogiatzis N, Taborsak-Lines F, Gruselius J, Yao L, Peichel CL, Suh A, Gagnaire PA, Kirschel ANG, Schweizer M, Schielzeth H, Burri R. A mosaic of modular variation at a single gene underpins convergent plumage coloration. Science. 2025 Oct 16;390(6770):eado8005. doi: 10.1126/science.ado8005.

Takács, P., Erdélyi, K., Hornok, S., Gyurácz, J., Molnár, P., Horváth, E., Hadarics, T., & Kontschán, J. (2025). Notes on the chigger mites (Acari: Parasitengona: Trombiculidae) of Hungary with new records on the avian hosts of <em>Blankaartia acuscutellaris</em> (Walch, 1922). Ecologica Montenegrina, 84, 103–107. https://doi.org/10.37828/em.2025.84.9

Sándor AD, Péter Á, Wong JB, Burri R, Hornok S. Hyalomma rufipes of Asian origin transported to Europe by a migrant bird. Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2025 Sep;16(5):102518. doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102518.

Keve G, Varga T, Hoitsy M, Wermer K, Hornok S. An assessment of the possible recent establishment of Hyalomma rufipes in Hungary. Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2025 Sep;16(5):102544. doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102544.

Keve G, Sándor AD, Hornok S. A review on the role of birds as disseminators of ticks, with special emphasis on Hyalomma species and Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus. Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2025 Sep;16(5):102535. doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102535. Epub 2025 Aug 28. Erratum in: Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2026 Jan 16:102587. doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102587.

Keve G, Reynolds C, Takács N, Hornok S. Uneven temporal distribution of piroplasms (Piroplasmida: Babesiidae, Theileriidae) in Haemaphysalis concinna in an urban biotope of the Western Palearctic focus region of this tick species. Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2025 Mar;16(2):102458. doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102458.

Hornok S, Keskin A, Uspensky I, Kontschán J, Takács N, Lesiczka P, Warbroek T, van den Bosch TJM, Keve G, Pitó A, Sándor AD. Updates on subgenus Ixodes in the Mediterranean region: validity of Ixodes festai Rondelli, 1926, reinstatement of Ixodes tatei Arthur, 1959, and a new species closely related to Ixodes gibbosus Nuttall, 1916. Int J Parasitol. 2025 Sep 19:S0020-7519(25)00177-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2025.09.002.

Keve G, Takács N, Csörgő T, Kováts D, Pitó A, Bende A, Németh Á, Benke A, Fenyvesi L, Lukács Z, Tamás EA, Mórocz A, Karcza Z, Keve G, Cutajar B, de Wulf E, Hornok S. Investigation of avian louse flies as potential vectors of protozoan and bacterial pathogens of veterinary importance. Sci Rep. 2025 Nov 25;15(1):45316. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-29340-4. PMID: 41290986;

Hornok S, Lesiczka P, Warbroek T, van den Bosch TJM, Pitó A, Keve G, Takács N, Kontschán J, Sándor AD. Comparison and complete mitogenomes of two morphologically similar but ecologically different tick species, Ixodes arboricola and Ixodes lividus (subgenus Pholeoixodes). Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2026 Jan 10;17(1):102589. doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102589.

Pitó A, Fedorov D, Brlík V, Kontschán J, Keve G, Sándor AD, Takács N, Hornok S. East-to-west dispersal of bird-associated ixodid ticks in the northern Palaearctic: Review of already reported tick species according to longitudinal migratory avian hosts and first evidence on the genetic connectedness of Ixodes apronophorus between Siberia and Europe. Curr Res Parasitol Vector Borne Dis. 2024 Jul 14;6:100201. doi: 10.1016/j.crpvbd.2024.100201.

Hornok S, Kontschán J, Takács N, Pap PL, Sándor AD. First record of Ixodes (Scaphixodes) caledonicus in the Carpathian Basin and first time molecular-phylogenetic analysis of this tick species with updated host records and geographical range. Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2024 Jan;15(1):102280. doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2023.102280.

Keve G, Csörgő T, Kováts D, Benke A, Bende AT, Ágoston H, Mórocz A, Németh Á, Tamás EA, Huber A, Gyurácz J, Keve G, Kontschán J, Németh A, Hornok S. (2024) Contributions to our knowledge on avian louse flies (Hippoboscidae: Ornithomyinae) with the first European record of the African species Ornithoctona laticornis. Parasites and Vectors 27: 17(1): 237. doi: 10.1186/s13071-024-06303-8.

Pitó A, Bukor B, Győrig E, Brlík V, Kontschán J, Keve G, Takács N, Hornok, S. (2024) Investigations of the tick burden on passeriform, water-associated and predatory birds reveal new tick–host associations and habitat-related factors of tick infestation. Parasites and Vectors 17: 1 Paper: 144. https://parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13071-024-06229-1

Keve G, Csörgő T, Kováts D, Hornok S. (2024) Long term evaluation of factors influencing the association of ixodid ticks with birds in Central Europe, Hungary. Scientific Reports 14: 1 Paper: 4958.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-55021-9

Fedorov D, Hornok S. (2024) Checklist of hosts, illustrated geographical range, and ecology of tick species from the genus Ixodes (Acari, Ixodidae) in Russia and other post-Soviet countries.
Zookeys 1201: pp. 255-343., 89 p. https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/115467/

Hornok S, Kontschán J, Takács N, Heyne H, Kovács ÁB, Plantard O, Halajian A et al. (2023). Molecular-phylogenetic analyses of Ixodes species from South Africa suggest an African origin of bird-associated exophilic ticks (subgenus Trichotoixodes). Parasites and Vectors 16(1). http://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-023-05998-5

Hornok S, Kontschán J, Takács N, Pap PL, Sándor AD (2024). First record of Ixodes (Scaphixodes) caledonicus in the Carpathian Basin and first time molecular-phylogenetic analysis of this tick species with updated host records and geographical range. Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases 15(1): 102280. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2023.102280

Keve G, Csörgő T, Benke A, Huber A, Mórocz A, Németh Á, Kalocsa B, Tamás EA, Gyurácz J, Kiss O, Kováts D, Sándor AD, Karcza Z, Hornok S. Ornithological and molecular evidence of a reproducing Hyalomma rufipes population under continental climate in Europe. Front Vet Sci. 2023 Mar 22;10:1147186. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1147186.

Coroian M, Silaghi C, Tews BA, Baltag EȘ, Marinov M, Alexe V, Kalmár Z, Cintia H, Lupșe MS, Mihalca AD. Serological Survey of Mosquito-Borne Arboviruses in Wild Birds from Important Migratory Hotspots in Romania. Pathogens. 2022 Oct 31;11(11):1270. doi: 10.3390/pathogens11111270.

Hornok S, Cutajar B, Takács N, Galea N, Attard D, Coleiro C, Galea R, Keve G, Sándor AD, Kontschán J. On the way between Africa and Europe: Molecular taxonomy of ticks collected from birds in Malta. Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2022 Sep;13(5):102001. doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2022.102001.

Keve G, Sándor AD, Hornok S. Hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) associated with birds in Europe: Review of literature data. Front Vet Sci. 2022 Aug 25;9:928756. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2022.928756.

Hornok S, Takács N, Sipos G, Morandini P, Sándor AD, Szekeres S, Grima A, Kontschán J. Urban emergence of Dermanyssus gallinae lineage L1 and Ornithonyssus sylviarum in Hungary: phylogenetic differentiation between the roles of migrating vs transported synanthropic birds. Parasit Vectors. 2021 Mar 8;14(1):147. doi: 10.1186/s13071-021-04643-3.

Sándor AD, Milchev B, Takács N, Kontschán J, Szekeres S, Hornok S. Five ixodid tick species including two morphotypes of Rhipicephalus turanicus on nestlings of Eurasian eagle owl (Bubo bubo) from south-eastern Bulgaria. Parasit Vectors. 2021 Jun 26;14(1):334. doi: 10.1186/s13071-021-04832-0.

Borşan SD, Toma-Naic A, Péter Á, Sándor AD, Peștean C, Mihalca AD. Impact of abiotic factors, habitat type and urban wildlife on the ecology of hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) in urban and peri-urban habitats. Parasit Vectors. 2020 Sep 18;13(1):476. doi: 10.1186/s13071-020-04352-3.

Hornok S, Grima A, Takács N, Szekeres S, Kontschán J. First records and molecular-phylogenetic analyses of three tick species (Ixodes kaiseri, Hyalomma lusitanicum and Ornithodoros coniceps) from Malta. Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2020 May;11(3):101379. doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2020.101379.

Hornok S, Boldogh SA, Takács N, Juhász A, Kontschán J, Földi D, Koleszár B, Morandini P, Gyuranecz M, Szekeres S. Anaplasmataceae closely related to Ehrlichia chaffeensis and Neorickettsia helminthoeca from birds in Central Europe, Hungary. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek. 2020 Jul;113(7):1067-1073. doi: 10.1007/s10482-020-01415-4.

Hornok S, Csorba A, Kováts D, Csörgő T, Hunyadi A. Ecdysteroids are present in the blood of wild passerine birds. Sci Rep. 2019 Nov 18;9(1):17002. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-53090-9.

Norte AC, Margos G, Becker NS, Albino Ramos J, Núncio MS, Fingerle V, Araújo PM, Adamík P, Alivizatos H, Barba E, Barrientos R, Cauchard L, Csörgő T, Diakou A, Dingemanse NJ, Doligez B, Dubiec A, Eeva T, Flaisz B, Grim T, Hau M, Heylen D, Hornok S, Kazantzidis S, Kováts D, Krause F, Literak I, Mänd R, Mentesana L, Morinay J, Mutanen M, Neto JM, Nováková M, Sanz JJ, Pascoal da Silva L, Sprong H, Tirri IS, Török J, Trilar T, Tyller Z, Visser ME, Lopes de Carvalho I. Host dispersal shapes the population structure of a tick-borne bacterial pathogen. Mol Ecol. 2020 Feb;29(3):485-501. doi: 10.1111/mec.15336.

Hornok S, Szőke K, Estók P, Krawczyk A, Haarsma AJ, Kováts D, Boldogh SA, Morandini P, Szekeres S, Takács N, Kontschán J, Meli ML, Fernández de Mera IG, de la Fuente J, Gyuranecz M, Sulyok KM, Weibel B, Gönczi E, de Bruin A, Sprong H, Hofmann-Lehmann R. Assessing bat droppings and predatory bird pellets for vector-borne bacteria: molecular evidence of bat-associated Neorickettsia sp. in Europe. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek. 2018 Sep;111(9):1707-1717. doi: 10.1007/s10482-018-1043-7.

Flaisz B, Sulyok KM, Kováts D, Kontschán J, Csörgő T, Csipak Á, Gyuranecz M, Hornok S. Babesia genotypes in Haemaphysalis concinna collected from birds in Hungary reflect phylogeographic connections with Siberia and the Far East. Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2017 Jun;8(4):666-670. doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2017.04.013.

Hornok S, Ágh N, Takács N, Kontschán J, Hofmann-Lehmann R. Haematospirillum and insect Wolbachia DNA in avian blood. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek. 2018 Mar;111(3):479-483. doi: 10.1007/s10482-017-0961-0.

Sándor AD, Kalmár Z, Matei I, Ionică AM, Mărcuţan ID. Urban Breeding Corvids as Disseminators of Ticks and Emerging Tick-Borne Pathogens. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2017 Feb;17(2):152-154. doi: 10.1089/vbz.2016.2054.

Mărcuţan ID, Kalmár Z, Ionică AM, D'Amico G, Mihalca AD, Vasile C, Sándor AD. Spotted fever group rickettsiae in ticks of migratory birds in Romania. Parasit Vectors. 2016 May 20;9(1):294. doi: 10.1186/s13071-016-1565-7.

Hornok S, Flaisz B, Takács N, Kontschán J, Csörgő T, Csipak Á, Jaksa BR, Kováts D. Bird ticks in Hungary reflect western, southern, eastern flyway connections and two genetic lineages of Ixodes frontalis and Haemaphysalis concinna. Parasit Vectors. 2016 Feb 24;9:101. doi: 10.1186/s13071-016-1365-0.

Hornok S, Kováts D, Flaisz B, Csörgő T, Könczöl Á, Balogh GT, Csorba A, Hunyadi A. An unexpected advantage of insectivorism: insect moulting hormones ingested by song birds affect their ticks. Sci Rep. 2016 Mar 21;6:23390. doi: 10.1038/srep23390.

Mărcuţan ID, Sándor AD, Kalmár Zs, Mihalca AD, Gherman CM, Cozma V, D'Amico G. Anaplasma phagocytophilum in ticks and tissues collected from wild birds in Romania. Scien Parasit. 2015 Sep 16;3: 103.111. http://scientia.zooparaz.net/2015_16_03/103-111-SP-2015-Marcutan-ORA.pdf

Sándor AD, Mărcuţan DI, D'Amico G, Gherman CM, Dumitrache MO, Mihalca AD. Do the ticks of birds at an important migratory hotspot reflect the seasonal dynamics of Ixodes ricinus at the migration initiation site? A case study in the Danube Delta. PLoS One. 2014 Feb 19;9(2):e89378. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0089378.

Hornok S, Kováts D, Csörgő T, Meli ML, Gönczi E, Hadnagy Z, Takács N, Farkas R, Hofmann-Lehmann R. Birds as potential reservoirs of tick-borne pathogens: first evidence of bacteraemia with Rickettsia helvetica. Parasit Vectors. 2014 Mar 28;7:128. doi: 10.1186/1756-3305-7-128.

Hornok S, Csörgő T, de la Fuente J, Gyuranecz M, Privigyei C, Meli ML, Kreizinger Z, Gönczi E, Fernández de Mera IG, Hofmann-Lehmann R. Synanthropic birds associated with high prevalence of tick-borne rickettsiae and with the first detection of Rickettsia aeschlimannii in Hungary. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2013 Feb;13(2):77-83. doi: 10.1089/vbz.2012.1032.

Dumitrache MO, Gherman CM, Cozma V, Mircean V, Györke A, Sándor AD, Mihalca AD. Hard ticks (Ixodidae) in Romania: surveillance, host associations, and possible risks for tick-borne diseases. Parasitol Res. 2012 May;110(5):2067-70. doi: 10.1007/s00436-011-2703-y.

Mihalca AD, Dumitrache MO, Magdaş C, Gherman CM, Domşa C, Mircean V, Ghira IV, Pocora V, Ionescu DT, Sikó Barabási S, Cozma V, Sándor AD. Synopsis of the hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) of Romania with update on host associations and geographical distribution. Exp Appl Acarol. 2012 Oct;58(2):183-206. doi: 10.1007/s10493-012-9566-5.