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Updated: Jun 12, 2026
Extraction of Saliva, Haemolymph, Salivary Glands, and Midgut from Individual Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae)
Published on: October 31, 2025
The development of a qPCR assay to detect tick (Ixodida) DNA and its implementation for the study of tick-borne
M T Robinson1, E R Morgan, D Woods
1School of Clinical Veterinary Sciences, University of Bristol, Langford House, Langford, North Somerset, UK. m.robinson@bristol.ac.uk
Abstract:
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis is regularly used to detect pathogens within arthropod vectors, but has also been applied to investigate vector DNA. This study details a novel highly sensitive quantitative PCR (qPCR) which detects and quantifies DNA from Ixodes ricinus, the European vector of Anaplasma phagocytophilum. By pairing this with a qPCR to detect A. phagocytophilum, valid comparisons of pathogen load can be made between different sized tick-tissue samples. These qPCRs were validated in I. ricinus that were fed A. phagocytophilum-infected blood using an artificial membrane feeder. Pathogens were detected in the tick haemolymph within 36h, indicating that successful infection had taken place. This study illustrates the application of vector-targeted qPCRs to confirm and validate pathogen load in samples as part of investigations of vector-pathogen interactions.
