Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA.
Parasitology. 2023 Sep;150(10):859-865. doi: 10.1017/S0031182023000793. Epub 2023 Aug 24.
Ticks transmit pathogens and harbour non-pathogenic, vertically transmitted intracellular bacteria termed endosymbionts. Almost all ticks studied to date contain 1 or more of , , or Midichloria mitochondrii endosymbionts, indicative of their importance to tick physiology. Genomic and experimental data suggest that endosymbionts promote tick development and reproductive success. Here, we review the limited information currently available on the potential roles endosymbionts play in enhancing tick metabolism and fitness. Future studies that expand on these findings are needed to better understand endosymbionts’ contributions to tick biology. This knowledge could potentially be applied to design novel strategies that target endosymbiont function to control the spread of ticks and pathogens they vector.
蜱虫传播病原体，并携带非致病性、垂直传播的称为内共生体的细胞内细菌。迄今为止，几乎所有研究过的蜱虫都含有 1 种或多种 、 、 或 中微共生菌属（Midichloria mitochondrii）内共生体，这表明它们对蜱虫生理学很重要。基因组和实验数据表明，内共生体促进了蜱虫的发育和生殖成功。在这里，我们回顾了目前关于内共生体在增强蜱虫代谢和适应能力方面的潜在作用的有限信息。需要进一步的研究来更好地了解内共生体对蜱虫生物学的贡献。这些知识有可能被应用于设计新的策略，以靶向内共生体的功能来控制蜱虫及其传播的病原体的传播。
