1. Evaluation of two artificial infection methods of live ticks as tools for studying interactions between tick-borne viruses and their tick vectors.
- Author
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Migné CV, Hönig V, Bonnet SI, Palus M, Rakotobe S, Galon C, Heckmann A, Vyletova E, Devillers E, Attoui H, Ruzek D, and Moutailler S
- Subjects
- Animals, Arachnid Vectors physiology, Encephalitis, Tick-Borne virology, Host-Pathogen Interactions, Humans, Ixodes physiology, Mice, Mice, Inbred BALB C, Reoviridae Infections virology, Arachnid Vectors virology, Encephalitis Viruses, Tick-Borne physiology, Encephalitis, Tick-Borne transmission, Ixodes virology, Orbivirus physiology, Reoviridae Infections transmission, Virology methods
- Abstract
Up to 170 tick-borne viruses (TBVs) have been identified to date. However, there is a paucity of information regarding TBVs and their interaction with respective vectors, limiting the development of new effective and urgently needed control methods. To overcome this gap of knowledge, it is essential to reproduce transmission cycles under controlled laboratory conditions. In this study we assessed an artificial feeding system (AFS) and an immersion technique (IT) to infect Ixodes ricinus ticks with tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) and Kemerovo (KEM) virus, both known to be transmitted predominantly by ixodid ticks. Both methods permitted TBEV acquisition by ticks and we further confirmed virus trans-stadial transmission and onward transmission to a vertebrate host. However, only artificial feeding system allowed to demonstrate both acquisition by ticks and trans-stadial transmission for KEMV. Yet we did not observe transmission of KEMV to mice (IFNAR
-/- or BALB/c). Artificial infection methods of ticks are important tools to study tick-virus interactions. When optimally used under laboratory settings, they provide important insights into tick-borne virus transmission cycles., (© 2022. The Author(s).)- Published
- 2022
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