NATURAL SECRETION OF SALIVA IN THE TICK Rhipicephalus appendiculatus (Neu¬mman) FED ARTIFICIALLY OF CAPILLARY TUBES

Abstract

Rhipicephalus appendiculatus female ticks were artificially fed on capillary tubes containing a cell culture medium, in an attempt to induce the natural secretion of saliva into the medium. These salivary secretions are an important source of antigenic material for studies on-resistance of the host to the tick. Hank's Balanced Salt solution was used as a medium and the effect of the addition of three different concentrations of bovine serum albumin on the acceptance of the ticks to feed on the medium was evaluated. The effect of the addition of the phagostimulant reduced glutathione on each concentration of protein was also evaluated. On the first group of experiments, ticks prefer on rabbits for Tour days, showed higher increases in weight (P<0.01) when the media offered contained 5% protein as compared with the increases observed on ticks fed on media containing 0.5% or no protein. The addition of glutathione showed no effect on the weight increase of the ticks. In subsequent experiments, ticks fed better on media containing 5% protein, but those prefer on rabbits immune to the tick showed a lower weight increase (P<0.01) than that displayed by ticks prefer on naive rabbits Rabbits sensi­tized to the tick by repeated infestations, developed immediate and delayed hyper­sensitivity reactions following the intradermal injection of tick saliva, obtained by the injection of dopamine to the tick. A similar type of reaction was observed on the rabbits, when the media on which the ticks have been fed, were injected. This fact demonstrated the presence of allergenic salivary components on them.