Background Tick populations have expanded in many parts of the globe, bringing with them an enhanced appreciation and discovery of novel tickborne pathogens, as well an increased in reported human cases of tickborne disease. Targeted and unbiased (shotgun) clinical metagenomic sequencing tests are increasingly used for detection of known and emerging infectious agents and have recently been employed for detection of tickborne pathogens. Content This review describes the types of metagenomic sequencing assays used for detection of emerging tickborne pathogens and reviews the recent literature on this topic. Important diagnostic and interpretative challenges are also covered. Summary Metagenomic analysis has emerged as a powerful tool for detection, discovery, characterization, and classification of tickborne pathogens. Shotgun metagenomics is especially promising because it allows for detection of all tickborne bacteria, viruses, and parasites in a single specimen. Despite the potential advantages, there are several important challenges, including high cost, complexity of testing and interpretation, and slow turnaround time. No doubt, these challenges will diminish with increased use and advances in the field.

中文翻译：

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宏基因组学在蜱传病原体检测中的新应用

背景 蜱虫种群在全球许多地方都有所扩大，带来了对新型蜱传病原体的更多认识和发现，以及报告的人类蜱传疾病病例的增加。靶向和无偏（鸟枪法）临床宏基因组测序测试越来越多地用于检测已知和新出现的感染因子，并且最近已用于检测蜱传病原体。内容 本综述描述了用于检测新出现的蜱传病原体的宏基因组测序分析的类型，并回顾了有关该主题的最新文献。还涵盖了重要的诊断和解释挑战。摘要 宏基因组分析已成为检测、发现、表征和分类蜱传病原体的有力工具。Shotgun 宏基因组学特别有前景，因为它可以检测单个样本中的所有蜱传细菌、病毒和寄生虫。尽管具有潜在优势，但仍存在几个重要挑战，包括高成本、测试和解释的复杂性以及周转时间缓慢。毫无疑问，这些挑战将随着使用的增加和该领域的进步而减少。