Performance of Ticks Fed on Rabbits Inoculated with Extracts Derived from Homogenized Ticks Amblyomma maculatum Koch (Acarina: Ixodidae)

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Abstract
Antibodies were developed in rabbits to a tick immunogen. The immunogen was an extract of homogenized, whole-tick tissues collected from adult male A. maculatum. Disc and SDS [sodium dodecyl sulfate] gel electrophoresis of the homogenate showed a range of 22-24 proteins and protein subunits with MW from 6000-340,000 daltons. Passive hemagglutination (PHA) antibody titers of immunized rabbits developed within 7 days and increased to a mean titer of 12 (log2) within 28 days. Differences of skin responses between treated and control rabbits were also evident. Nymphal feeding lesions of A. maculatum on immunized rabbits reached maximal diameters of 3-4 mm within 24-36 h, whereas lesions on control rabbits were 1.0-1.5 mm during the same time period. All rabbits developed lesions 4-5 mm in diameter during adult A. maculatum feeding, but the lesions appeared within 2-4 h on immunized and 18-36 h on control rabbits. No significant (P > 0.05) differences in nymphal engorgement weights or percent eclosion were observed between ticks fed on immunized or nonimmunized rabbits. When female ticks were fed only as adults or nymphs on immunized rabbits, their mean engorgement weights were significantly less (0.48, 0.53 g) compared to females that fed both as nymphs and adults (0.83 g) on control rabbits (P < 0.01). When female ticks were fed on immunized rabbits both as nymphs and adults, their mean engorgement weights were significantly less (0.30 g) compared to female ticks that fed only as nymphs or adults (0.53, 0.48 g) on immunized rabbits (P < 0.01). But there was no significant difference between mean engorgement weights (0.53, 0.48 g) of female ticks that fed only as nymphs or adults on immunized rabbits, their mean egg mass weights were significantly different (0.14, 0.26 g) compared to females that fed both as nymphs and adults (0.40 g) on control rabbits (P < 0.05). When female ticks were fed on immunized rabbits both as nymphs and adults their mean weights of egg masses were significantly different (0.17 g) compared to ticks that fed only as nymphs (0.26 g) on immunized rabbits (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between mean weights of egg masses (0.17 g) of female ticks that were fed on immunized rabbits both as nymphs and adults, compared to ticks that fed only as adults (0.14 g) on immunized rabbits (P > 0.05).