Conspecific hyperparasitism in the Hyalomma excavatum tick and considerations on the biological and epidemiological implications of this phenomenon
| Autor: | Katarzyna Bartosik, Michal Stanko, Alicja M Buczek, Weronika Buczek, Alicja Buczek |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
Male
Ixodidae Parasitism Zoology 010501 environmental sciences Tick 01 natural sciences ticks lcsh:Agriculture 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine tick feeding transmission of pathogens parasitic diseases medicine Animals Humans 030212 general & internal medicine Waste Management and Disposal Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Entomophagous parasite lcsh:Environmental sciences 0105 earth and related environmental sciences lcsh:GE1-350 Larva Tick-borne disease biology Host (biology) Transmission (medicine) Public Health Environmental and Occupational Health lcsh:S Feeding Behavior biology.organism_classification Blood meal medicine.disease hyalomma excavatum Tick-Borne Diseases Female Rabbits hyperparasitism |
| Zdroj: | Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine, Vol 26, Iss 4, Pp 548-554 (2019) |
| ISSN: | 1898-2263 1232-1966 |
| Popis: | Introduction This study presents for the first time a case of Hyalomma excavatum hyperparasitism and an analysis of this phenomenon in terms of its potential role in the biology of ticks and epidemiology of tick-borne diseases. Material and methods Two partially engorged H. excavatum females, one fully engorged female, and 5 males were collected from a naïve rabbit and placed together in a rearing chamber at a temperature of 25°C and 75% humidity. Results 3–4 days after tick detachment from the host’s skin, one partially engorged H. excavatum female was observed attached to the idiosoma of the fully engorged conspecific female. Conclusions This study and observations of other authors confirm that partially engorged ixodid ticks can re-infest the host, and even co-feeding fully engorged ticks in order to collect the blood meal that is indispensable for important physiological processes. However, inefficient feeding of a partially engorged female on another conspecific female may reduce its reproductive performance and disturb the development of eggs and larvae. It seems that parasitism of a tick on another conspecific specimen, when at least one of them is infected by a microorganism, may be a yet poorly explored route of transmission of pathogens or symbionts between the ticks. Initiation of feeding by a hungry or partially engorged tick on a fully engorged specimen is an attempt to obtain food in the drastic conditions of the absence of a target host. Tick hyperparasitism with concurrent pathogen transmission can contribute to the genospecific diversity of pathogens in vectors and hosts. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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