Changing the Recipe: Pathogen Directed Changes in Tick Saliva Components.

ABSTRACT: Ticks are obligate hematophagous parasites and are important vectors of a wide variety of pathogens. These pathogens include spirochetes in the genus Borrelia that cause Lyme disease, rickettsial pathogens, and tick-borne encephalitis virus, among others. Due to their prolonged feeding period of up to two weeks, hard ticks must counteract vertebrate host defense reactions in order to survive and reproduce. To overcome host defense mechanisms, ticks have evolved a large number of pharmacologically active molecules that are secreted in their saliva, which inhibits or modulates host immune defenses and wound healing responses upon injection into the bite site. These bioactive molecules in tick saliva can create a privileged environment in the host's skin that tick-borne pathogens take advanta

SUBMITTER: Pham M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7918122 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature