biostudies-literatureCollini MSeventh Framework Programme (BE)Seventh Framework ProgrammeFondazione Edmund MachUniversità degli Studi di Milano638https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC5154095biostudies-literatureUnknown9(1)<h4>Background</h4>In Europe, Ixodes ricinus L. is the main vector of a variety of zoonotic pathogens, acquired through blood meals taken once per stage from a vertebrate host. Defining the main tick hosts in a given area is important for planning public health interventions; however, until recently, no robust molecular methods existed for blood meal identification from questing ticks. Here we improved the time- and cost-effectiveness of an HRMA protocol for blood meal analysis and used it to identify blood meal sources of sheep tick larvae from Italian alpine forests.<h4>Methods</h4>Nine hundred questing nymphs were collected using blanket-dragging in 18 extensive forests and 12 forest patches close to rural villages in the Province of Trento. Total DNA was either extracted manually, withParasites & vectorsIdentification of Ixodes ricinus blood meals using an automated protocol with high resolution melting analysis (HRMA) reveals the importance of domestic dogs as larval tick hosts in Italian alpine forests.PMC5154095261504Conterno LMortarino MRosa RAlbonico FCollini MTagliapietra VHauffe HCRizzoli ARossi CArnoldi DfalseIdentification of Ixodes ricinus blood meals using an automated protocol with high resolution melting analysis (HRMA) reveals the importance of domestic dogs as larval tick hosts in Italian alpine forests.<h4>Background</h4>In Europe, Ixodes ricinus L. is the main vector of a variety of zoonotic pathogens, acquired through blood meals taken once per stage from a vertebrate host. Defining the main tick hosts in a given area is important for planning public health interventions; however, until recently, no robust molecular methods existed for blood meal identification from questing ticks. Here we improved the time- and cost-effectiveness of an HRMA protocol for blood meal analysis and used it to identify blood meal sources of sheep tick larvae from Italian alpine forests.<h4>Methods</h4>Nine hundred questing nymphs were collected using blanket-dragging in 18 extensive forests and 12 forest patches close to rural villages in the Province of Trento. Total DNA was either extracted manually, with2016-01-01T00:00:00Z2016 Dec2026-07-15T21:29:38.198Z2026-07-09T10:14:49.02ZS-EPMC51540952795567810.1186/s13071-016-1901-y