Allergy to pigeon tick (Argas reflexus) in Upper Silesia, Poland. (1/6)

The pigeon tick Argas reflexus is avian ectoparasite that typically feeds on pigeons. When devoid of a natural host, the ticks can also attack humans. In Upper Silesia, southern Poland, people living in the vicinity of the birds' nesting sites are frequently bitten by A. reflexus. The bites can provoke serious allergic reactions, including fatal anaphylactic shock. In the present study, residents of 9 apartments invaded by pigeon ticks were invited to undergo medical examination, skin prick tests (SPT) and determination of specific IgE to A. reflexus. The test allergens were prepared of ticks collected on-site. Out of 18 residents living in the infested apartments, 15 accepted the invitation. In this group, 8 persons complained of tick-related health problems, positive SPT to A. reflexus were found in all of them, and specific IgE was detectable in 3 persons (range: 0.38-0.84 kUA/l; CAP class 1-2). Final clinical diagnoses were established of generalised urticaria with asthma in 1 person, generalised urticaria in another 1, and local allergic reactions to tick bites in the remaining 6. Among 7 symptom-free residents, all test results were negative. Besides the study group, the paper also describes the case of a person who developed hypersensitivity to A. reflexus as a child, after a few visits to an abandoned dovecote. 30 years later, positive SPT (++) and specific IgE (0.78 kUA/l; CAP class 2) were still present despite no further re-exposures. The article also discusses available pest control measures against A. reflexus.  (+info)

Comparative sialomics between hard and soft ticks: implications for the evolution of blood-feeding behavior. (2/6)

Ticks evolved various mechanisms to modulate their host's hemostatic and immune defenses. Differences in the anti-hemostatic repertoires suggest that hard and soft ticks evolved anti-hemostatic mechanisms independently, but raise questions on the conservation of salivary gland proteins in the ancestral tick lineage. To address this issue, the sialome (salivary gland secretory proteome) from the soft tick, Argas monolakensis, was determined by proteomic analysis and cDNA library construction of salivary glands from fed and unfed adult female ticks. The sialome is composed of approximately 130 secretory proteins of which the most abundant protein folds are the lipocalin, BTSP, BPTI and metalloprotease families which also comprise the most abundant proteins found in the salivary glands. Comparative analysis indicates that the major protein families are conserved in hard and soft ticks. Phylogenetic analysis shows, however, that most gene duplications are lineage specific, indicating that the protein families analyzed possibly evolved most of their functions after divergence of the two major tick families. In conclusion, the ancestral tick may have possessed a simple (few members for each family), but diverse (many different protein families) salivary gland protein domain repertoire.  (+info)

Structure, function, and evolution of biogenic amine-binding proteins in soft ticks. (3/6)

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A novel clade of cysteinyl leukotriene scavengers in soft ticks. (4/6)

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The influence of the fasting period on the number of nymphal instars and on the sex ratio of Argas (Persicargas) miniatus (Acari: Argasidae). (5/6)

The current study investigated the biology of nymphs of the first and second instars of Argas (Persicargas) miniatus. Nymphs were deprived of food for 15, 30 or 60 days and held at 27 +/- 1 degrees C and 80 +/- 10% relative humidity (controlled conditions) or at room conditions of temperature and relative humidity. Nymphs of first instar deprived of food for 15 or 30 days molted to second and third instars in both controlled and room conditions. Nymphs of the first instar deprived of food for 60 days had 28 and 37% mortality in controlled and room conditions, respectively; and survivors did not attach to the host. Nymphs of the second instar, deprived of food for 60 days, molted either to the third instar or to males after feeding on Gallus gallus, and the nymphs of the third instar developed to adults (42.42% males and 36.36% females when nymphs were held in controlled temperature and humidity conditions, and 40.54% males and 48.65% females when nymphs were held in room conditions). The remainder of the nymphs molted to the fourth instar and then molted to females. In conclusion, the nymphal starvation period of 60 days determined the number of nymph instars in the life cycle of A. miniatus under the experimental conditions studied.  (+info)

Borrelia, Rickettsia, and Ehrlichia species in bat ticks, France, 2010. (6/6)

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