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PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases Vectors Collection: A Call for Papers DEADLINE EXTENSION

PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases announces a collection on vector-borne diseases. Research submissions are now being invited, with a **DEADLINE EXTENSION** to March 31, 2018.

As previously noted in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), while the last decade of NTDs research has shown many strides towards elimination, there is one group of NTDs in which attempts at control are at a standstill or worse: vector-borne NTDs.

Vector-borne diseases account for about 35% of the neglected tropical diseases. Importantly, the vector is a key component for the transmission and maintenance of the pathogen for these relevant diseases, such as Human African Trypanosomiasis, Chagas disease, leishmanasis, lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis and arbovirus diseases such as dengue, Zika and chikungunya.

Arbovirus infections have drastically increased in prevalence, with upticks in dengue and chikungunya infection as well as the recent globally-publicized Zika and Ebola outbreaks. The increased incidence of these arbovirus infections in the Americas, southern Europe, the Middle East, and Asia may have many causes, but vector population expansion, climate change effects on vectors, and/or human intervention (via migration, urbanization, etc) are likely among the factors.

The significant rise in leishmaniasis in the Middle East also seems potentially linked to the rise in human conflict in these areas. Additionally, Chagas disease has been increasing in prevalence, and benznidazole, the major drug used to treat Chagas disease, has recently been shown to have no therapeutic impact on patients with chagasic cardiomyopathy.

The need for further research and development in the area of vector-borne NTDs has inspired PLOS NTDs, long a home for vector research, to call for new work focusing on vectors. We’re encouraging authors to contribute their work in order to increase our knowledge of vector-borne NTDs and enable improved management and design of control efforts for the many global populations affected by these diseases.

PLOS NTDs will dedicate a special collection to vectors and vector-borne diseases, edited by Deputy Editor Jesus G. Valenzuela and co-Editor-in-Chief Serap Aksoy. We invite original research works on vector/pathogen interactions, vector/host interactions, population genetics and genomics, vector transcriptomics, transmission, field epidemiology, vector physiology, vector ecology and vector control. We have created a preliminary Vectors Collection of articles showcasing some of our finest relevant research on vector-borne diseases from years past, viewable here.

The deadline for submission has been extended to March 31, 2018 (the original deadline for submission was January 1, 2018). When submitting your paper, please indicate in your Cover Letter and submission form that your paper is intended for this collection. All papers will undergo our standard peer-review process and if accepted will be published under the Creative Commons Attribution License. Questions about the collection can be directed to plosntds@plos.org.

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