De Arun Kumar, Ponraj Perumal, Bhattacharya Debasis
Animal Science Division, ICAR-Central Island Agricultural Research Institute, South Andaman, Andaman and Nicobar Islands-744101, Port Blair, India.
Parasitol Res. 2025 Feb 4;124(2):18. doi: 10.1007/s00436-025-08459-3.
To improve our knowledge on host-parasite interaction, the study was undertaken on Rhipicephalus microplus infestation in cross breed cattle. This tick, being a voracious blood sucker, remains attached to the skin for prolonged period and inoculates saliva during blood feeding. Biomolecules present in the saliva have detrimental effects on host system. The present study deals with the effects of R. microplus in artificially infected nine months old cattle for a period of 21 days. There was physiological alteration during tick infestation in terms of body temperature, pulse, and respiration rate. There was drop in haemoglobin gram percentage, platelet count, total red and white blood cell count. Thrombocytopenia in infested animals was suggestive of iron deficient anaemia after artificial infestation. R. microplus infestation was found to induce stress in experimental animals. Our study on peripheral blood gene expression was suggestive of Th2 polarization since there was increased IL-4 response. Increased IL-6 response indicated skin damage due to R. microplus infestation and we further correlate eosinophilia with up-regulation of IL-6 and IL-8 responses. Increased IL-10 response and decreased IFN-γ response were suggestive of immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory properties of tick saliva.
为了增进我们对宿主 - 寄生虫相互作用的了解，我们对杂交牛的微小牛蜱感染情况进行了研究。这种蜱是一种贪婪的吸血者，会长时间附着在皮肤上，并在吸血时注入唾液。唾液中存在的生物分子会对宿主系统产生有害影响。本研究探讨了微小牛蜱对人工感染的9个月大的牛为期21天的影响。蜱虫感染期间，牛的体温、脉搏和呼吸频率出现了生理变化。血红蛋白克百分比、血小板计数、红细胞和白细胞总数均有所下降。受感染动物的血小板减少表明人工感染后出现缺铁性贫血。研究发现微小牛蜱感染会在实验动物中诱发应激反应。我们对外周血基因表达的研究表明存在Th2极化，因为白细胞介素 - 4反应增强。白细胞介素 - 6反应增强表明微小牛蜱感染导致皮肤损伤，我们进一步将嗜酸性粒细胞增多与白细胞介素 - 6和白细胞介素 - 8反应的上调相关联。白细胞介素 - 10反应增强和干扰素 - γ反应降低表明蜱虫唾液具有免疫抑制和抗炎特性。
