Ticks are specialized blood-sucking ectoparasitic arthropods that suck large quantities of blood from their hosts while carrying and transmitting a wide range of pathogens, including protozoa, bacteria, rickettsiae, helminths, and viral diseases. Tick bites can cause itchy and painful skin, anemia, weight loss, and even paralysis and death in the host, posing a major threat not only to the health of humans, domestic animals and wildlife, but also to industries such as animal husbandry.