Liquid water intake of the lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum: Implications for tick survival and management

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F62156489%3A43210%2F20%3A43917938" target="_blank" >RIV/62156489:43210/20:43917938 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/62157124:16810/20:43878435

Result on the web

<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-63004-9" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-63004-9</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-63004-9" target="_blank" >10.1038/s41598-020-63004-9</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Liquid water intake of the lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum: Implications for tick survival and management

Original language description

Ixodid ticks are ectoparasites that feed exclusively on blood as their source of nutrients. Although ticks spend most of their life off the host, until now it has been assumed that the blood and the water vapor are the only sources of water to maintain water balance and prevent desiccation. Here we report for the first time that adult lone star ticks, Amblyomma americanum, also actively drink nutrient-free water, which greatly increases their survival. The volume of ingested water is greater in females than males (0.55 +- 0.06 vs 0.44 +- 0.07 µl) and most likely due to differences in tick size. Water uptake occurs through mouthparts and it can be later observed in the salivary glands and the midgut. We also exploited this behavior by adding a variety of inorganic compounds and microorganisms to water. Addition of inorganic salts to drinking water such as KH2PO4 + NaCl+KNO3 resulted in 100% tick mortality within 3 days. As a proof of concept for using the water drinking as a delivery route of toxic reagents for ticks, we also show that adding Pseudomonas aeruginosa to drinking water quickly leads to tick death. This tick behavior can be exploited to target important physiological systems, which would make ticks vulnerable to dehydration and microbial dysbiosis.

Czech name

—

Czech description

—

Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

10616 - Entomology

Project

<a href="/en/project/ED1.1.00%2F02.0068" target="_blank" >ED1.1.00/02.0068: Central european institute of technology</a><br>

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2020

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Scientific Reports

ISSN

2045-2322

e-ISSN

—

Volume of the periodical

10

Issue of the periodical within the volume

7 April

Country of publishing house

GB - UNITED KINGDOM

Number of pages

9

Pages from-to

6000

UT code for WoS article

000540093000001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85083071944