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Updated: Jul 15, 2025

Tick Artificial Membrane Feeding for Ixodes scapularis
Published on: November 30, 2022
An Anaplasma phagocytophilum T4SS effector, AteA, is essential for tick infection
Jason M Park1, Brittany M Genera1, Deirdre Fahy1
1Program in Vector-borne Disease, Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Washington State University , Pullman, Washington, USA.
Importance:
Ticks are the number one vector of pathogens for livestock worldwide and for humans in the United States. The biology of tick transmission is an understudied area. Understanding this critical interaction could provide opportunities to affect the course of disease spread. In this study, we examined the zoonotic tick-borne agent Anaplasma phagocytophilum and identified a secreted protein, AteA, which is expressed in a tick-specific manner. These secreted proteins, termed effectors, are the first proteins to interact with the host environment. AteA is essential for survival in ticks and appears to interact with cortical actin. Most effector proteins are studied in the context of the mammalian host; however, understanding how this unique set of proteins affects tick transmission is critical to developing interventions.
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