Nigerian researcher wins prestigious US award for work on overlooked tick-borne parasites

A Nigerian doctoral researcher, Oluwaseun Ajileye, has been honoured with the Young Investigator Travel Award by the American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists (AAVP).

This is in recognition of his groundbreaking research on tick-borne filarial nematodes—an understudied class of parasitic worms that could have serious implications for animal health in North America.

Ajileye, who is currently pursuing his PhD in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Program at Texas A&M University, presented his work at the AAVP’s annual scientific conference held from June 21–24, 2025, in St. Louis, Missouri.

Speaking, Ajileye said “Receiving this recognition from AAVP and presenting my research to the nation’s leading veterinary parasitologists and seasoned researchers was an incredible honor.

“The feedback and collaborations that resulted from this conference presentation have already begun advancing my research in exciting new directions.”

At the conference, Ajileye presented his detailed analysis of filarial nematodes—parasitic worms transmitted by ticks—that are often excluded from mainstream research on tick-borne diseases.

His findings drew from his recently published review in the journal Parasites and Vectors, which highlighted widespread gaps in understanding their biology, transmission, and potential impact across North America.

He noted that “the response from conference attendees was remarkable. While much attention is given to tick-borne bacteria and protozoans, the filarial nematodes transmitted by ticks have been largely overlooked.

“My presentation highlighted what we know, what we don’t know, and why veterinarians and researchers should pay attention to these parasites.”

He warned that a lack of research on these parasites could obscure their role in chronic or unexplained illnesses in domestic and wild animals.

“This knowledge gap could have significant implications for veterinary medicine and wildlife health management,” he emphasized.

The Young Investigator Travel Award is a highly competitive prize, given to outstanding graduate students in the fields of veterinary parasitology, vector biology, medical entomology, and wildlife disease ecology.

Winners are usually selected based on the scientific merit of their abstract submissions and the relevance of their research.

“Attending the AAVP conference with this travel support allowed me to connect with potential collaborators and receive input from experts who helped shape the future direction of my research

“These interactions were invaluable for a graduate student developing their career in parasitology.” Ajileye said

Ajileye’s research also has immediate clinical relevance, which according to him, some chronic conditions seen in pets and wildlife—such as recurring skin problems, inflammation, secondary infections, and joint or eye issues—might be linked to these little-known filarial worms.

He explained that “Unexplained skin conditions, chronic inflammations, secondary infections, chronic polyarthritis, ocular immunopathologies, or other mysterious ailments in companion animals and wildlife might be linked to these understudied parasites,”

Ajileye’s background, which includes earlier work on parasites in tropical regions of Nigeria, gave him a global perspective on the emerging threat these organisms pose, especially as global travel, animal trade, and climate change alter patterns of parasite transmission.

“Having seen the impact of filarial parasites in tropical regions, I could provide context about what might happen if these tick-borne filarial nematodes become more prevalent in North America due to climate change, geographic range expansion of tick vectors, international pet travel, wildlife migration patterns, and global trade in animals. This perspective resonated strongly with conference attendees.”

Now, Ajileye is collaborating with other scientists he met at the conference to launch a multi-state tick surveillance project aimed at creating the first comprehensive map of filarial nematode distribution across the United States.

He concluded that “The travel award was a catalyst. What started as a conference presentation has evolved into a collaborative network that will advance our understanding of these parasites for years to come.”