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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2026

Metagenomic analysis of the midgut microbiome in Dermacentor abaensis ticks at different feeding states.

Ticks are blood-sucking ectoparasites of humans and animals, ranking second only to mosquitoes as vectors of diseases. Dermacentor abaensis is distributed in Sichuan, Qinghai, and Gansu, China. Because D. abaensis harbors several pathogens, it poses a threat to public health and livestock production. However, the midgut microbiota of D. abaensis at distinct feeding states remains poorly characterized. Adult D. abaensis ticks at various feeding states were collected from yaks in Gansu Province, China. Genomic DNA was extracted from midguts and midgut contents of unfed, partially fed, and fully engorged female D. abaensis. A metagenomic sequencing approach was employed to profile the midgut microflora among three groups. A total of 83 phyla, 908 genera, and 1857 species were annotated across the three groups. At the phylum level, Pseudomonadota, Mucoromycota, and Ascomycota were the most abundant. At the species level, common bacterial species such as Klebsiella pneumoniae and Anaplasma phagocytophilum, alongside viruses and eukaryotes, were detected in all three groups. Unique microorganisms were also observed in each group: unfed (n = 305), partially fed (n = 59), and fully engorged (n = 20). Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis suggested that the D. abaensis microbiome contains a relatively high abundance of functional genes involved in lipid and amino acid metabolism across the three different feeding states. These findings indicate that while core microbial taxa are shared in the midgut of female D. abaensis, observable trends suggest variations in microbial diversity and composition as blood-feeding progresses. The present study provides a descriptive baseline of the midgut microbial composition of D. abaensis, which may inform future studies on tick biology and the ecology of tick-borne pathogens.

Animals↗
PubMed2026

Pilot metaproteomic profiling reveals bacterial diversity and potential medical and veterinary relevance of tick microbiomes in northern Algeria.

Ticks are major ectoparasites and vectors of pathogens affecting humans, livestock, and wildlife. They harbor diverse microbial communities that may influence tick biology and interactions with microorganisms; however, functional information on tick-associated microbiomes remains limited, particularly in North Africa. In this pilot study, we applied a metaproteomic approach based on high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry to characterize bacterial communities associated with three tick species collected in Algeria: Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato, Hyalomma aegyptium, and Hyalomma dromedarii. Peptide spectra were assigned to taxa using a two-step database search strategy based on NCBInr, and bacterial composition and relative abundance were compared across tick species and sampling locations. A total of 40 bacterial genera belonging to 32 families and four phyla were identified. Microbiome composition differed significantly between tick genera and collection locations, suggesting an influence of species-specific and geographical factors on microbial community structure. Dominant genera included Streptomyces, Bacillus, Clostridium, Escherichia, Flavobacterium, Paenibacillus, and Providencia. Peptides related to Coxiella spp. were frequently detected, consistent with previous reports of Coxiella-like endosymbionts in ticks. This pilot study provides a first metaproteomic characterization of tick-associated communities in Algeria. The results reveal species- and location-associated differences in microbial composition and highlight the potential of metaproteomics for exploring tick-associated microbiomes in North Africa.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Babesia bigemina in Kenya: experimental transmission by Boophilus decoloratus and the production of tick-derived stabilates.

A Babesia-free batch of laboratory reared Boophilus decoloratus ticks was infected with a Kenyan strain of Babesia bigemina by feeding them on a steer infected by inoculation of a blood stabilate. The engorged female ticks showed developing stages of B. bigemina in their haemolymph and subsequently their progeny transmitted the parasite to a susceptible splenectomized steer. Attempts were made to produce stabilates from pre-fed larvae and nymphs derived from infected batches of B. decoloratus. Only the stabilates derived from the nymphs pre-fed either on cattle or rabbits produced B. bigemina infection when inoculated intravenously into susceptible cattle.

Animals↗
PubMed2026

Comparative genomic and proteomic analysis reveals orthogroup structured evolution of tick protease inhibitors.

Protease inhibitors (PIs) play central roles in regulating endogenous proteolysis and host-parasite interactions in ticks. However, the evolutionary architecture underlying their diversification across tick lineages remains insufficiently resolved. Here, we performed a genome-wide comparative analysis of predicted proteomes from 14 tick species to systematically characterize PI repertoires. In total, 4931 putative PIs were identified and grouped into 20 families using the MEROPS classification system. Further, PI families such as Antistasin, WAP-type, and Pacifastin, which have not previously been systematically reported in tick genomes, were classified. Orthogroup inference demonstrated that PI expansion is structured at the level of evolutionary lineages rather than uniformly across families. By stratifying orthogroups according to duplication burden and taxonomic conservation, we identified a broadly conserved single-copy core under strong purifying selection. Motif level analysis of serpin reactive center loops further revealed conservation of inhibitory specificity within single copy orthogroups and diversification of key functional residues in duplication-associated lineages. Integration of secretion prediction and tissue-resolved proteomics from Hyalomma anatolicum and Rhipicephalus microplus demonstrated that evolutionary stratification is reflected at the protein level. Together, these findings provide an orthogroup-resolved evolutionary framework linking duplication dynamics, molecular evolution, and tissue-level protein deployment. This integrative approach offers a systematic basis for prioritizing conserved and diversified PI lineages for future functional and anti-tick intervention studies.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Babesia major in Britain: infectivity for cattle of cryopreserved parasites derived from Haemaphysalis punctata nymphs.

Babesia major-infected Haemaphysalis punctata nymphs, prefed for four days on rabbits, were ground in a modified Eagle's minimum essential medium containing N-2 hydroxyethylpiperazine-N1-ethane-sulphonic acid (HEPES) buffer using sterile sand or ground glass as triturating agents. The resultant supernatant fluids were shown to be infective for splenectomised calves. When attempts were made to cryopreserve the fluids using either dimethyl sulphoxide or glycerol to a final concentration of 10 per cent, only the former successfully maintained the intravenous infectivity of the organisms released by grinding with glass. A cooling rate of approximately 1 degrees C/min resulted in successful cryopreservation but a more rapid cooling rate did not.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

[New aspects of the part of the vector played by Ixodes ricinus L. in Switzerland. Preliminary note (author's transl)].

The authors, after having recalled their recent work on Ixodes ricinus ecology, give the new results about the part played by this species in the transmission of different infectious agents in Switzerland. I. ricinus was already known to be the most important vector of the tick borne encephalitis virus, and of protozoans of the Babesia genus. In this article, we describe the existence in the hemolymphe of different I. ricinus populations, of a rickettsia species related to the RMST group (Rocky-Mountain Spotted Fever), of a trypanosome, which is close to T. theileri, and of an infectious larval form (L3) of Dipetalonema rugosicauda. An outline is suggested with the object of illustrating the functioning of a natural foci of tick encephalitis. The biological significance of the unusual presence of trypanosomes and of larval filariae in ticks is also discussed. The authors underline the fact that rickettsia, trypanosomes and filarial forms are observed for the first time in Swiss I. ricinus.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Development of acquired resistance precipitating antibody in rabbits experimentally infested with females of Haemaphysalis longicornis (Ixodoidea: Ixodidae).

The resistance to the ixodid tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis (parthenogenetic Okayama strain), manifested as a reduction in engorged body weight, developed in rabbits subjected to a series of adult female infestations. A single infestation with females always produced resistance in hosts. This production appeared to depend little on the number of ticks per infestation. Unlike the previous papers, this study revealed that there was no reduction in the mean recovery rate of engorged females when ticks fed on a rabbit repeatedly infested with the ticks. A series of infestations were carried out comparatively to investigate the major biological characters of ticks, such as feeding, oviposition, and hatchability of eggs. As a result, there were no marked differences in these characters among the infestations. Especially, no differences were noticed in the concentration of ingested blood meal in detached females among the infestations. Precipitating antibodies were found in the sera of rabbits resistant to the tick-bite. They were subjected to fractionation by Sephadex G-200 chromatography and tested for sensitivity to 2-mercaptoethanol. As a result, they were proved to be of immunoglobulin of 7 S class.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Properties of the tick-borne encephalitis virus persisting for a long time in a chronically infected cell culture].

The biological properties of tick-borne encephalitis virus (Sof K) produced by chronically infected HEp-2-Sof cells at late stages of the cultivation were studied. The Sof K virus was infective for mice of different ages upon intracerebral and subcutaneous inoculation, had high immunogenicity and was completely neutralized by antiserum to the parental strain. The Sof K virus had the small-plaque phenotype and replicated with similar intensity in pig embryo cell cultures (SPEC) at 36 degrees, 42 degrees and 31 degrees C.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Biophysical and biological studies on Jos virus (a new tick-borne virus isolated from Nigeria).

Jos virus possessed no haemagglutinating property within pH range 6.0--6.6 at room temperature and 37 degrees C. Haemagglutination-inhibition tests with Jos virus immune mouse ascitic fluid against other arbovirus antigens further confirmed the lack of serological relationships with any of the major arbovirus groups. Serum neutralisation tests showed that nonspecific neuralising inhibitors of Jos virus were absent in normal sera. Jos virus is highly thermolabile; a sharp reduction of virus infectivity occurred on exposure to various temperatures. Ultraviolet irradiation rapidly inactivated the virus; considerable loss of infectivity occurred within one minute of exposure to ultraviolet light. Electron microscopic studies of infected suckling mouse liver revealed necrosis of hepatocytes, phagocytosis of necrotic debris and mononuclear infiltration. Jos virus produced plaques in Vero and duck embryo cell cultures. Assay of stock virus in these cell cultures and in suckling mice showed that mouse inoculation was more sensitive than plaque assay.

Arboviruses↗