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Figure 1 | Parasites & Vectors

Figure 1

From: Dynamics of digestive proteolytic system during blood feeding of the hard tick Ixodes ricinus

Figure 1

Overview of the feeding phases, midgut morphology and overall hemoglobinolysis in the gut of a Ixodes ricinus female during feeding on the host. An adult Ixodes ricinus female feeds for about 7 to 8 days. The slow feeding period starts one day post-attachment, during which the female ingests about one third of the total blood meal. The major portion of the host blood (about two thirds) is ingested by the mated female during the rapid engorgement phase, taking place during the last 24-48 hours before the engorged tick drops off the host. Light microscope panel: The semi-thin sections were stained with toulidine blue; scale bar = 20 μm. UF - unfed ticks; 2d, 4d, 6d - 2, 4, 6 days of feeding, respectively; FF - fully fed (engorged) ticks. Midgut epithelium scheme panel: RC - reserve cells (stem cells); DCN - digestive cells persisting from the nymphal stage; DCI - initial digestive cells (prodigest cells); DC - digestive cells; DDC - detached digestive cells; RB - residual bodies (hemosomes); E - endosomes; blue circles - cell nuclei; yellow circles - lipid vacuoles. Relative hemoglobinolysis panel: Quantification of relative hemoglobinolysis in gut tissue extracts was measured using the fluorescamine derivatization assay at pH 4.2 and normalized to one tick gut according to the method described in reference [12].

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