RESEARCH PAPER
Host feeding behaviour of Dermacentor reticulatus males in relation to the transmission of pathogens
1
Chair and Department of Biology and Parasitology, Medical University, Lublin, Poland
2
Department of Basic Nursing and Medical Teaching, Medical University, Lublin, Poland
Corresponding author
Katarzyna Bartosik
Chair and Department of Biology and Parasitology, Medical University, Lublin, Poland
Chair and Department of Biology and Parasitology, Medical University, Lublin, Poland
Ann Agric Environ Med. 2019;26(2):227-230
KEYWORDS
ticksDermacentor reticulatushost feeding behaviourattachment of the malesmale engorged weightpathogen transmission
TOPICS
Biological agents posing occupational risk in agriculture, forestry, food industry and wood industry and diseases caused by these agents (zoonoses, allergic and immunotoxic diseases)Prevention of occupational diseases in agriculture, forestry, food industry and wood industry
ABSTRACT
Introduction:
The three-host Dermacentor reticulatus tick transmits many pathogens, which are introduced into the host with saliva during feeding.
Material and methods:
The aim of present study was to analyse the behaviour of males of this species on the host in homogeneous sex groups comprising 15 (group I) and 30 (group II) male specimens and in a mixed group composed of 15 males and 15 females (group III).
Results:
Although the dynamics of attachment of the males to host skin slightly differed between these three groups, there was no statistically significant difference in the duration of the attachment process. The duration of host attachment of the males in groups I, II, and III at 18±2°C and 50 ± 2% RH was 2.43 ± 2.46, 7.75 ± 11.85, and 9.07 ± 10.97 days, respectively. After 7–9-day feeding, the male engorgement weight (MEW) was similar, regardless of the size of the group and the presence or absence of females on the host. Tick males ingest a small amount of host blood. The value of MEW in the three groups did not differ statistically from the weight of unengorged specimens.
Conclusions:
The host feeding behaviour of D. reticulatus males and their effective feeding suggest that they may play a role in transmission of pathogens and non-pathogenic microorganisms with tick saliva during blood meal ingestion. Clinical and laboratory diagnostics of human and animal tick-borne diseases as well as epidemiological studies should consider the possibility of pathogen transmission by males of metastriata ticks, which feed on the host for several days.
The three-host Dermacentor reticulatus tick transmits many pathogens, which are introduced into the host with saliva during feeding.
Material and methods:
The aim of present study was to analyse the behaviour of males of this species on the host in homogeneous sex groups comprising 15 (group I) and 30 (group II) male specimens and in a mixed group composed of 15 males and 15 females (group III).
Results:
Although the dynamics of attachment of the males to host skin slightly differed between these three groups, there was no statistically significant difference in the duration of the attachment process. The duration of host attachment of the males in groups I, II, and III at 18±2°C and 50 ± 2% RH was 2.43 ± 2.46, 7.75 ± 11.85, and 9.07 ± 10.97 days, respectively. After 7–9-day feeding, the male engorgement weight (MEW) was similar, regardless of the size of the group and the presence or absence of females on the host. Tick males ingest a small amount of host blood. The value of MEW in the three groups did not differ statistically from the weight of unengorged specimens.
Conclusions:
The host feeding behaviour of D. reticulatus males and their effective feeding suggest that they may play a role in transmission of pathogens and non-pathogenic microorganisms with tick saliva during blood meal ingestion. Clinical and laboratory diagnostics of human and animal tick-borne diseases as well as epidemiological studies should consider the possibility of pathogen transmission by males of metastriata ticks, which feed on the host for several days.
REFERENCES (33)
1.
Bullova E, Lukáň M, Stanko M, Peťko B. Spatial distribution of Dermacentor reticulatus tick in Slovakia in the beginning of the 21st century. Vet Parasitol. 2009; 165(3–4): 357–360.
2.
Nowak-Chmura M. Fauna of Ticks of Central Europe. Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Pedagogicznego, Kraków, 2013 (in Polish).
3.
Buczek A, Bartosik K, Wiśniowski L, Tomasiewicz K. Changes in population abundance of adult Dermacentor reticulatus (Acari:Amblyommidae) in long-term investigations in eastern Poland. Ann Agric Environ Med. 2013; 20(2): 269–272.
4.
Medlock JM, Hansford KM, Bormane A, Derdakova M, Estrada-Peña A, George JC, et al. Driving forces for changes in geographical distribution of Ixodes ricinus ticks in Europe. Parasit Vectors 2013; 6: 1.
5.
Földvári G, Široký P, Szekeres S, Majoros G, Sprong H. Dermacentor reticulatus: a vector on the rise. Parasit Vectors 2016; 9: 314.
6.
Földvári G, Farkas R. Ixodid tick species attaching to dogs in Hungary. Vet Parasitol. 2005; 129(1–2): 125–131.
7.
Zygner W, Jaros S, Wędrychowicz H. Prevalence of Babesia canis, Borrelia afzelii, and Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection in hard ticks removed from dogs in Warsaw (central Poland). Vet Parasitol. 2008; 153(1–2): 139–142.
8.
Reye AL, Stegniy V, Mishaeva NP, Velhin S, Hübschen JM, Ignatyev G, Muller CP. Prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus ticks from different geographical locations in Belarus. PLoS One. 2013; 8(1): e54476.
9.
Beck S, Schreiber C, Schein E, Krücken J, Baldermann C, Pachnicke S, von Samson-Himmelstjerna G, Kohn B. Tick infestation and prophylaxis of dogs in northeastern Germany: a prospective study. Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2014; 5(3): 336–342.
10.
Mierzejewska EJ, Welc-Falęciak R, Karbowiak G, Kowalec M, Behnke JM, Bajer A. Dominance of Dermacentor reticulatus over Ixodes ricinus (Ixodidae) on livestock, companion animals and wild ruminants in eastern and central Poland. Exp Appl Acarol. 2015; 66(1): 83–101.
11.
Król N, Obiegala A, Pfeffer M, Lonc E, Kiewra D. Detection of selected pathogens in ticks collected from cats and dogs in the Wrocław Agglomeration, South-West Poland. Parasit Vectors 2016; 9: 351.
12.
Bartosik K, Sitarz M, Szymańska J, Buczek A. Tick bites on humans in the agricultural and recreational areas in south-eastern Poland. Ann Agric Environ Med. 2011; 18(1): 151–157.
13.
Földvári G, Rigó K, Lakos A. Transmission of Rickettsia slovaca and Rickettsia raoultii by male Dermacentor marginatus and Dermacentor reticulatus ticks to humans. Diag Microbiol Inf Dis. 2013; 76(3): 387–389.
14.
Bursali A, Keskin A, Tekin S. Ticks (Acari: Ixodida) infesting humans in the provinces of Kelkit Valley, a Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever endemic region in Turkey. Exp Appl Acarol. 2013; 59(4): 507–515.
15.
Kiszewski AE, Matuschka FR, Spielman A. Mating strategies and spermiogenesis in ixodid ticks. Annu Rev Entomol. 2001; 46: 167–182.
16.
Bartosik K, Wiśniowski L, Buczek A. Abundance and seasonal activity of adult Dermacentor reticulatus (Acari: Amblyommidae) in eastern Poland in relation to meteorological conditions and the photoperiod. Ann Agric Environ Med. 2011; 18(2): 340–344.
17.
Bartosik K, Wiśniowski L, Buczek A. Questing behavior of Dermacentor reticulatus adults (Acari: Amblyommidae) during diurnal activity periods in eastern Poland. J Med Entomol. 2012; 49(4): 859–864.
18.
Balashov YS. Blood sucking ticks (Ixodidae)- vectors of diseases of man and animals. Misc Publ Entomol Soc Am. 1972; 8: 161–376.
19.
Buczek A, Bartosik K, Zając Z, Stanko M. Host-feeding behaviour of Dermacentor reticulatus and Dermacentor marginatus in mono-specific and inter-specific infestations. Parasit Vectors 2015; 8: 470.
20.
Bartosik K, Buczek A, Borzęcki A, Kulina D. Study of the non-parasitic stage in Ixodes ricinus after co-feeding with Dermacentor reticulatus in three infestations. Ann Agric Environ Med. 2017; 24(1): 90–95.
21.
Bartosik K, Buczek A. The impact of intensity of invasion of Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus on the course of the parasitic phase. Ann Agric Environ Med. 2012; 19(4): 651–655.
22.
Bowessidjaou J, Brossard M, Aeschlimann A. Effects and duration of resistance acquired by rabbits on feeding and egg laying in Ixodes ricinus L. Cell Mol Life Sci. 1977; 33(4): 528–530.
23.
Kocan KM, Goff WL, Stiller D, Claypool PL, Edwards W, Ewing SA, Hair JA, Barron SJ. Persistence of Anaplasma marginale (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae) in male Dermacentor andersoni (Acari: Ixodidae) transferred successively from infected to susceptible calves. J Med Entomol. 1992; 29: 657–668.
24.
Otranto D, Dantas-Torres F, Giannelli A, Latrofa MS, Cascio A, Cazzin S, et al. Ticks infesting humans in Italy and associated pathogens. Parasit Vectors 2014; 7: 328.
25.
Pennisi M-G, Persichetti M-F, Serrano L, Altet L, Reale S, Gulotta L, et al. Ticks and associated pathogens collected from cats in Sicily and Calabria (Italy). Parasit Vectors 2015; 8: 512.
26.
Geurden T, Becskei C, Six RH, Maeder S, Latrofa MS, Otranto D, Farkas R. Detection of tick-borne pathogens in ticks from dogs and cats in different European countries. Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2018; 9(6): 1431–1436.
27.
Oliver JH. Tick reproduction: sperm development and cytogenetics. In: Obenchain FD, Galun IR, editors. The Physiology of Ticks. Oxford: Pergamon Press; 1982. p. 245–275.
28.
Oliver JH, Dotson EM. Hormonal control of molting and reproduction in ticks. Am Zool. 1993; 33(3): 384–396.
29.
Oliver JH, Brinton LP. Cytogenetics of ticks (Acari: Ixodoidea). 7. Spermatogenesis in the Pacific Coast tick, Dermacentor occidentalis Marx (Ixodidae). J Parasitol. 1972; 58(2): 365–379.
30.
Wang H, Henbest PJ, Nuttall PA. Successful interrupted feeding of adult Rhipicephalus appendiculatus (Ixodidae) is accompanied by reprogramming of salivary gland expression. Parasitology 1999; 119(2): 143–149.
31.
Ebel G, Kramer L. Duration of tick attachment required for transmission of Prowasan virus by deer ticks. Am J Trop Med. Hyg. 2004; 71(3): 268–271.
32.
Richards SL, Langley R, Apperson CS, Watson E. Do tick attachment times vary between different tick-pathogen systems? Environments 2017; 4: 37.
33.
Alekseev AN, Chunikhin SP. The experimental transmission of the tick-borne encephalitis virus by ixodid ticks (the mechanisms, time periods, species and sex differences). Parazitologiia 1990; 24(3): 177–185.
Share
RELATED ARTICLE
| eISSN: | 1898-2263 |
| ISSN: | 1232-1966 |
Improvement of visual identification of the journal - task financed under the agreement No. 618/P-DUN/2019 by the Minister of Science and Higher Education allocated to the activities of disseminating science.
Generation of the DOI (Digital Object Identifier) - task financed under the agreement No. 618/P-DUN/2019 by the Minister of Science and Higher
© 2006-2024 Journal hosting platform by Bentus
We process personal data collected when visiting the website. The function of obtaining information about users and their behavior is carried out by voluntarily entered information in forms and saving cookies in end devices. Data, including cookies, are used to provide services, improve the user experience and to analyze the traffic in accordance with the Privacy policy. Data are also collected and processed by Google Analytics tool (more).
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
