草叶上的混性集群：华丽硬蜱 Dermacentor reticulatus 的繁殖策略。

Mixed-sex clusters on grass blades: breeding strategy of the ornate dog tick, Dermacentor reticulatus.

机构信息

Department of Eco-Epidemiology of Parasitic Diseases, Institute of Developmental Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Miecznikowa 1, 02-096, Warsaw, Poland.

School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK.

出版信息

Parasit Vectors. 2024 Feb 9;17(1):58. doi: 10.1186/s13071-024-06129-4.

DOI:10.1186/s13071-024-06129-4

PMID:38336751

原文链接:https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10854131/

Abstract

BACKGROUND

The ornate dog tick Dermacentor reticulatus is second only to the hard tick Ixodes ricinus in terms of importance as a vector of infectious organisms, especially of Babesia canis, the agent of canine babesiosis. Both the geographical range and local densities of D. reticulatus are steadily increasing in many regions of Europe. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that D. reticulatus possesses an efficient breeding strategy that allows for a rapid increase in tick numbers and densities through the formation of mixed-sex clusters/aggregations while questing in the environment.

METHODS

An observational study was carried out in the spring of 2023, at three sites in two regions in Central and North-Eastern Poland, both characterised by high tick densities. At each site, a 400-m-long transect was inspected for questing ticks. All noted ticks were collected, and tick numbers and sexes per stem were recorded. Differences in tick distribution by site and sex were analysed statistically.

RESULTS

A total of 371 D. reticulatus (219 females, 152 males) ticks were collected from 270 grass stems over a combined 1200 m of transect. The majority of grass stems (74.4%) were occupied by just a single individual, with two-tick clusters the second most common category. The maximum number of D. reticulatus individuals observed on a single grass stem was six. Mixed-sex clusters were significantly more common than single-sex clusters at all three sites. With study sites combined, mixed-sex clusters accounted for 17.4% (95% confidence limit [95% CL] 13.9-21.6%) of observations, while for multiple males and multiple females, the values were 2.6% (95% CL: 1.4-4.7%) and 5.6% (95% CL: 3.7-8.3%), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Mixed-sex clusters of D. reticulatus ticks were significantly more common than single-sex clusters, which we hypothesise reflects an efficient, likely pheromone-mediated breeding strategy of this expansive tick species.

摘要

背景

华丽 (= 饰纹)狗蜱 Dermacentor reticulatus 在作为传染病原体载体方面的重要性仅次于硬蜱 Ixodes ricinus，尤其是犬巴贝斯虫的病原体。在许多欧洲地区，D. reticulatus 的地理分布范围和局部密度都在稳步增加。在本研究中，我们检验了这样一个假设，即 D. reticulatus 拥有一种有效的繁殖策略，通过在环境中求偶时形成混合性别集群/聚集，能够快速增加蜱的数量和密度。

方法

2023 年春季，在波兰中部和东北部的两个地区的三个地点进行了一项观察性研究，这两个地区的蜱密度都很高。在每个地点，对 400 米长的样带进行检查，以寻找求偶的蜱。记录所有注意到的蜱的数量和每根茎上的性别。对不同地点和性别的蜱分布差异进行了统计学分析。

结果

从 270 根草茎上共采集到 371 只 D. reticulatus（219 只雌性，152 只雄性）蜱，总长度为 1200 米。大多数草茎（74.4%）只被单个个体占据，两蜱集群是第二常见的类别。在单个草茎上观察到的最大 D. reticulatus 个体数为 6 只。在所有三个地点，混合性别集群明显比单一性别集群更常见。将研究地点合并后，混合性别集群占观察结果的 17.4%（95%置信区间[95%CL] 13.9-21.6%），而对于多个雄性和多个雌性，其值分别为 2.6%（95%CL：1.4-4.7%）和 5.6%（95%CL：3.7-8.3%）。