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Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Abstract

Ticks are obligate hematophagous ectoparasites that play a major role in the transmission of pathogens affecting both animals and humans. Investigations into tick biology, pathogen transmission, and the development of effective control strategies have traditionally depended on the extensive use of laboratory animals. Consequently, the development of reliable in vitro feeding systems is a valuable alternative approach with the potential to reduce animal use in tick research. In the present study, a previously described silicone membrane artificial feeding system was modified and applied for the in vitro feeding of Hyalomma marginatum (Koch, 1844). Feeding units were prepared using bovine blood supplemented with different glucose concentrations and stimulants. A total of 106 adult female H. marginatum ticks were included in the experiments, along with additional trials involving larval and nymphal stages. Under the experimental conditions, adult H. marginatum females exhibited an attachment rate of 49.05% (52/106), and of those ticks, 61.53% (32/52) successfully engorged. The mean weight of fully engorged females was 302.2 mg. However, individuals of larval and nymphal stages were unable to attach or feed using the silicone membrane system. Overall, the results showed that adult H. marginatum can successfully adapt to silicone membrane-based artificial feeding under in vitro conditions, providing a useful experimental model for studies on tick physiology and vector–pathogen interactions while reducing reliance on experimental animals.

Author ORCID Identifier

NESLİHAN ÖLMEZ: 0000-0002-2191-8924

BARIŞ SARI: 0000-0001-9978-2513

ZATİ VATANSEVER: 0000-0003-3460-3849

DOI

10.55730/1300-0128.4419

Keywords

Artificial feeding, Hyalomma marginatum, in vitro feeding, silicone membrane

First Page

134

Last Page

140

Publisher

The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK)

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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