Skip to main content
Advertisement
  • Loading metrics

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases Issue Image | Vol. 5(5) May 2011

Salivary gland of female Ixodes ricinus (Immunostaining, x 200).

Ticks are among the most important vectors of human and animal diseases and surpass all other arthropods in the variety of the transmitted pathogenic organisms. They are capable of transmitting these pathogens by several ways, the main clause being via the injection of saliva during the bite. After many years of debate, and for the first time in vivo, our study (see Reis et al.) demonstrated that I.ricinus is competent for the transmission of Bartonella sp., which are facultative intracellular vector-borne bacteria associated with several emerging diseases in humans and animals all over the world.

Image Credit: Sarah Bonnet

thumbnail
Salivary gland of female Ixodes ricinus (Immunostaining, x 200).

Ticks are among the most important vectors of human and animal diseases and surpass all other arthropods in the variety of the transmitted pathogenic organisms. They are capable of transmitting these pathogens by several ways, the main clause being via the injection of saliva during the bite. After many years of debate, and for the first time in vivo, our study (see Reis et al.) demonstrated that I.ricinus is competent for the transmission of Bartonella sp., which are facultative intracellular vector-borne bacteria associated with several emerging diseases in humans and animals all over the world.

Image Credit: Sarah Bonnet

https://doi.org/10.1371/image.pntd.v05.i05.g001