Arthropod-Related Health Threats (ARHTs) and Nuisance Arthropods in North Khorasan Province, Iran: A Comprehensive Review.

The arthropod vectors, such as mosquitoes, sand flies, and ticks, transmit various pathogens to humans and animals, leading to public health issues. Therefore, an effective disease surveillance system is essential to provide information on these diseases in order to monitor their trends worldwide. The current study focused on the prevalence of arthropod-borne diseases and their vectors in North Khorasan Province located in northeastern Iran, bordering Turkmenistan. A narrative literature review was conducted to analyze the status of arthropod-related health threats (ARHTs) and their vectors in this area. Sources with no time limit up to 2025 were examined from PubMed, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science databases using keywords like vector, arthropod, North Khorasan, and Iran. After excluding duplicates and irrelevant content, a final list of 31 papers was thoroughly evaluated. This province exhibits the occurrence of several major ARHTs, including visceral leishmaniasis, cutaneous leishmaniasis, West Nile fever, chikungunya, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, Q fever, Theileria infection, equine piroplasmosis, dirofilariasis, Dipylidium caninum infection, fascioliasis, hymenolepiasis, scorpionism, spider bites, pediculosis, and myiasis. Given the complex and diverse ecosystem of North Khorasan, implementing tailored and innovative strategies is essential for effective surveillance and early detection of arthropod-borne diseases, thus enabling timely and efficient management of these health threats.