Amblyomma maculatum salivary gland transcriptome of Rickettsia parkeri infected and non infected ticks. Amblyomma maculatum

Ticks are vectors for a significant number of bacterial, protozoan and viral organisms. Pathogen transmission is accompanied with blood feeding and, in fact, tick salivary glands secrete a number of important antioxidants, antihistamines and immunosuppressive proteins which potentiate pathogen transmission. In this study, we examine the impact of Rickettsia parkeri infection on the salivary gland transcript expression of adult female Amblyomma maculatum ticks fed for 3 or 5 days.