[Possible role of ticks as a reservoir of rabies virus]

In Western Europe the fox and other carnivora are parasitized by two specific ticks. The study of host-parasite relationships and knowledge of rabies epidemiology led us to investigate for a possible part played by ticks as reservoir of rabies virus. Several hundreds of ticks (Pholeoixodes hexagonus and Pholeoixodes canisuga) were collected on wild foxes. Ticks collected from naturally infected rabid foxes were set on healthy foxes in order to contaminate them. Ticks collected from non-rabid foxes were set on healthy foxes in order to contaminate them. Ticks collected from non-rabid foxes were inoculated with rabies virus (fox salivary glands), and put on other healthy foxes. In all these experiments, ticks, inoculated or not, had usual feeding behaviour. No fox was rabid following infestation by ticks inoculated or collected from rabid foxes. Specific ticks of foxes do not appear to be a passive vector nor a reservoir of rabies virus in Western Europe.