A fruitful collaboration with the Pasteur Institute

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A fruitful collaboration with the Pasteur Institute

2014/04/16 A fruitful collaboration with the Pasteur Institute - Ixodes ricinus as a vector of the lyme disease agent

In our research unit, ticks, and especially the european tick Ixodes ricinus, are a central research subject. I. ricinus is indeed the vector of numerous pathogens for human as well as livestock. The understanding of fondamental mechanisms concerning the transmission of these pathogens as well as their interactions with the vector are key aspects for these vector-borne pathogens.

Research in this area requires the controlled experimental infection of « healthy » ticks, i.e. without any vector-borne pathogens. We have been rearing ticks in our UMR (VIP group) for 14 years, and we can propose free-pathogen lines of Ixodes ricinus. These ticks are used in our research programs to perform experimental infection with different Babesia species, a Protozoan blood parasite.

In the collaborative research project with the Pasteur Institute, we participated to the proteomic analysis of tick salivary gland protein expression, when they are infected or not with different Borrelia strains. As a whole, the presence of Borrelia in the salivary glands is a stress factor for the tick, and according to the Borrelia strain, a variable modulation of the expression of about fifteen proteins has been observed. The Borrelia OspA protein is also expressed in the tick salivary glands, where it could play a role in the pathogenicity of this bacteria.

See also

Cotté et al. Differential expression of Ixodes ricinus salivary gland proteins in the presence of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex. J. Proteomics 2014, 96:29-43

Modification date : 11 September 2023 | Publication date : 16 April 2014 | Redactor : LM