Identification of a non-host semiochemical from tick-resistant donkeys (Equus asinus) against Amblyomma sculptum ticks.

ABSTRACT: Amblyomma sculptum is a tick affecting animal and human health across Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Brazil. Donkeys, Equus asinus, are known to be resistant to A. sculptum, suggesting that they can produce non-host tick semiochemicals (allomones), as already demonstrated for some other vertebrate host/pest interactions, whereas horses, Equus caballus, are considered as susceptible hosts. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that donkeys produce natural repellents against A. sculptum, by collecting sebum from donkeys and horses, collecting the odour from sebum extracts, and identifying donkey-specific volatile compounds by gas chromatography (GC) and coupled GC-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). From the complex collected blends, five main compounds were identified in both species. Hexanal, h

SUBMITTER: Ferreira LL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6446183 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature