Abstract
Tick saliva is acomplex mixture of peptidic and non-peptidic molecules that aid engorgement. The composition of tick saliva changes as feeding progresses and the tick counters the dynamic host response. Ixodid ticks such as Ixodes ricinus, the most important tick species in Europe, transmit numerous pathogens that cause debilitating diseases, e.g. Lyme borreliosis and tick-borne encephalitis. Tick-borne pathogens are transmitted in tick saliva during blood feeding; however, saliva is not simply amedium enabling pathogen transfer. Instead, tick-borne pathogens exploit saliva-induced modulation of host responses to promote their transmission and infection, so-called saliva-assisted transmission (SAT). Characterization of the saliva factors that facilitate SAT is an active area of current research. Besides providing new insights into how tick-borne pathogens survive in nature, the research is opening new avenues for vaccine development.
Highlights
Ticks are arthropods related to spiders and scorpions
This review focuses on pathogens transmitted by I. ricinus, the vector of numerous human pathogens, most notably tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus and certain species of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s. l.) complex that cause Lyme borreliosis [31, 32]
Given that non-viremic transmission is facilitated by saliva-assisted transmission (SAT), the natural history of TBE virus demonstrates the crucial role tick saliva molecules play in maintaining a major human pathogen
Summary
Summary Tick saliva is a complex mixture of peptidic and non-peptidic molecules that aid engorgement. The composition of tick saliva changes as feeding progresses and the tick counters the dynamic host response. Ixodid ticks such as Ixodes ricinus, the most important tick species in Europe, transmit numerous pathogens that cause debilitating diseases, e.g. Lyme borreliosis and tick-borne encephalitis. Tickborne pathogens exploit saliva-induced modulation of host responses to promote their transmission and infection, so-called saliva-assisted transmission (SAT). Characterization of the saliva factors that facilitate SAT is an active area of current research. Besides providing new insights into how tick-borne pathogens survive in nature, the research is opening new avenues for vaccine development. Keywords Ixodes ricinus · Vaccine · Saliva-assisted transmission · Tick-borne encephalitis virus · Borrelia burgdorferi
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