Fig 1.
Guinea pig infection and tick blood meal.
Fig 2.
Experimental design: moulting and testing samples.
Real-time PCR and culture: □; Transmission Electron Microscopy: ●; Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization: ▲.
Table 1.
Engorged Dermacentor reticulatus female ticks after feeding on guinea pigs infected with F. tularensis subsp. holarctica.
Table 2.
Engorged Ixodes ricinus female ticks after feeding on guinea pigs infected with F. tularensis subsp. holarctica.
Fig 3.
TEM micrographs of Ixodes ricinus pre-vitellogenic oocyte after feeding on guinea pigs infected with F. tularensis subsp. holarctica.
The morphology of some inclusions is typical of a Gram-negative bacterium, and their size is congruent with that of bacteria from the Francisella genus. m: mithocondrium, b: bacterium. Scale bar: A 0.22 μm, B 1.1 μm.
Fig 4.
TEM micrographs of Ixodes ricinus pre-vitellogenic oocyte after feeding on guinea pigs infected with F. tularensis subsp. holarctica.
Note the presence of residual bodies into the large, phagocytic vacuole. Oo: oocyte, mv: microvilli, Tp: tunica propria. Scale bar: 0.37 μm.
Fig 5.
FISH staining with a probe specific for Francisella tularensis in Dermacentor reticulatus oocytes after feeding on guinea pigs infected with F. tularensis subsp. holarctica.
(A) Image obtained from light transmission; (B) Overlay image with blue signal for F. tularensis (23S rRNA probe for F. tularensis labelled with the fluorochrome Cy5) and red signal for universal eubacterial probe EUB338; (C) 23S rRNA probe for all F. tularensis; (D) universal eubacterial probe EUB338. Scale bar: 200 μm.
Fig 6.
FISH staining with a probe specific for Francisella tularensis in Ixodes ricinus salivary glands from female after feeding on guinea pigs infected with F. tularensis subsp. holarctica.
(A) Image obtained from light transmission; (B) Overlay image with blue signal for F. tularensis (23S rRNA probe for F. tularensis labelled with the fluorochrome Cy5) and red signal for universal eubacterial probe EUB338; (C) 23S rRNA probe for F. tularensis; (D) universal eubacterial probe EUB338. Scale bar: 100 μm.