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Review
. 2017 Jun 22:7:281.
doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2017.00281. eCollection 2017.

The Essential Role of Tick Salivary Glands and Saliva in Tick Feeding and Pathogen Transmission

Ladislav Šimo  1 , Maria Kazimirova  2 , Jennifer Richardson  3 , Sarah I Bonnet  1
Affiliations
Review

The Essential Role of Tick Salivary Glands and Saliva in Tick Feeding and Pathogen Transmission

Ladislav Šimo et al. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. .

Abstract

As long-term pool feeders, ticks have developed myriad strategies to remain discreetly but solidly attached to their hosts for the duration of their blood meal. The critical biological material that dampens host defenses and facilitates the flow of blood-thus assuring adequate feeding-is tick saliva. Saliva exhibits cytolytic, vasodilator, anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory, and immunosuppressive activity. This essential fluid is secreted by the salivary glands, which also mediate several other biological functions, including secretion of cement and hygroscopic components, as well as the watery component of blood as regards hard ticks. When salivary glands are invaded by tick-borne pathogens, pathogens may be transmitted via saliva, which is injected alternately with blood uptake during the tick bite. Both salivary glands and saliva thus play a key role in transmission of pathogenic microorganisms to vertebrate hosts. During their long co-evolution with ticks and vertebrate hosts, microorganisms have indeed developed various strategies to exploit tick salivary molecules to ensure both acquisition by ticks and transmission, local infection and systemic dissemination within the vertebrate host.

Keywords: tick saliva; tick salivary glands; tick-borne pathogens; ticks.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic representation of pathogen acquisition, development and transmission by a tick. (1) pathogens are ingested by the tick along with the blood meal during the bite. (2) Pathogens invade the midgut and, depending on the species, stay in the midgut until the next feeding or immediately cross the epithelium of the digestive tract (3) to invade the tick body. (4) Pathogens move into the salivary glands by crossing the epithelium and invade the acini (5). (6) Pathogens are injected into a new host during feeding, along with saliva that counteracts host hemostasis, inflammation and immune responses, thus facilitating pathogen infection of host. Please note that, for clarity, only half of the digestive tract and a single salivary gland are represented.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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