The Flagbearers of Tick-Borne Encephalitis Research: The Soviet Theory of Natural Nidality in Czechoslovak-Polish Tick Entanglements (1947–1963)

Abstract: The article examines how human-tick interactions stimulated the production of scientific knowledge and influenced public health policy across the Iron Curtain. It analyses the development and dissemination of the Soviet theory of natural nidality of transmissible diseases, as formulated by Evgenii Pavlovskii. This theory posits that disease-causing pathogens exist in natural habitats independently of human presence. Focusing on Czechoslovak-Polish collaboration from 1947 to 1963, the text highlights the influence of Soviet science on tick-borne encephalitis research during the Cold War. Ticks thus played a central role in driving transnational research: they spurred international conferences and institutional cooperation, while also shaping ideological narratives and strategic health initiatives.