** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** WITH THE INCREASING TICK POPULATION AND EXPANSION OF THEIR GEOGRAPHICAL RANGES AS WELL CHANGES IN FARMING CONDITIONS AND CLIMATE CONDITIONS, TICK-BORNE DISEASES ARE BECOMING A MAJOR GLOBAL HEALTH IMPEDIMENT BOTH FOR HUMANS AS WELL AS FOR EFFICIENT LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION. ON A GLOBAL BASIS, THE ECONOMIC TOLL CAUSED BY TICK-BORNE DISEASES IS STAGGERING AND BETTER GLOBAL CONTROL OF TICK-BORNE DISEASES OF LIVESTOCK AND THEIR VECTORS WOULD CONTRIBUTE SUBSTANTIALLY TO IMPROVED MEAT AND MILK PRODUCTION. INCREASING TICK-BORNE INFECTIONS NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY HAVE INCREASED THE DEMAND OF DIAGNOSTIC ASSAYS FOR THESE INFECTIONS USING DIFFERENT MULTIPLEX DETECTION PLATFORMS. WE INTEND TO DEVELOP A SENSITIVE, HIGH THROUGHPUT MULTIPLEX DIAGNOSTIC APPROACH THAT CAN SIMULTANEOUSLY DETECT 6 TICK-BORNE PATHOGEN GROUPS FROM A SINGLE SAMPLE USING BARCODED MAGNETIC BEAD TECHNOLOGY. THE PATHOGENS INCLUDE ANAPLASMA SPP., BORRELIA SPP., EHRLICHIA SPP., RICKETTSIA SPP, BABESIA SPP, AND THEILERIA SPP., WHICH ARE THE ETIOLOGIC AGENTS FOR MOST OF THE KNOWN TICK-BORNE DISEASES. THE CENTRAL FOCUS OF THIS GRANT PROPOSAL IS TO CARRY OUT THE FEASIBILITY, DEVELOPMENT, AND VERIFICATION TESTING FOR SIMULTANEOUS DETECTION OF 6 TICK-BORNE PATHOGENS GROUPS IN THE MULTIPLEX DIAGNOSTIC ASSAY. SUCH AN ASSAY WILL SERVE THE VETERINARY HEALTH AND SURVEILLANCE FOR MANY DECADES TO COME. THIS APPLICATION HAS DIRECT IMPACT ON VETERINARY HEALTH WORLDWIDE. OUR DIAGNOSTIC ASSAY WILL RAPIDLY IDENTIFY THE CORRECT ETIOLOGIC AGENT AND WILL FACILITATE THE SPECIFIC TREATMENT ALONG WITH EARLY INTERVENTIONS TO STOP THE SPREAD AMONG GREATER POPULATION.