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 …

Ticks require blood meal to complete development and reproduction. Multifunctional tick
salivary glands play a pivotal role in tick feeding and transmission of pathogens. Tick …

When attempting to feed on their hosts, ticks face the problem of host hemostasis (the
vertebrate mechanisms that prevent blood loss), inflammation (that can produce itching or …

The systematics of the genera and subgenera within the soft tick family Argasidae is not
adequately resolved. Different classification schemes, reflecting diverse schools of scientific …

There is now abundant evidence that vaccination with defined protein antigens is able to
induce significant immunity to tick infestation. In a limited number of cases, this immunity has …

Tick sialome is comprised of a rich cocktail of bioactive molecules that function as a tool to
disarm host immunity, assist blood-feeding, and play a vibrant role in pathogen …

Ticks had to adapt to an existing and complex vertebrate hemostatic system from being free-
living scavengers. A large array of anti-hemostatic mechanisms evolved during this process …

Borrelia burgdorferi, the spirochetal agent of Lyme borreliosis, is predominantly transmitted
by Ixodes ticks. Spirochetes have developed many strategies to adapt to the different …

The salivary glands are vital to the biological success of ixodid ticks and the major route for
pathogen transmission. Important functions include the absorption of water vapor from …

Ticks evolved various mechanisms to modulate their host's hemostatic and immune
defenses. Differences in the anti-hemostatic repertoires suggest that hard and soft ticks …