During tick infestation, the tick secretes bioactive substances that modify the host’s physiological and immunological reactions. The study of tick saliva is important to understand tick biology as tick saliva plays a special physiological role in pathogen transmission. The average salivary protein concentration was found to be 0.169 μg/μl/tick and saliva secretion decreased with increased time of tick detachment from the host. Saliva secretion volume increased to 3.56 μl in the group of ticks with a body weight between 301–350 mg as compared to higher and lower body weight groups. On-chip-electrophoresis results show 13 distinct bands ranging from 9.9 to 294 kDa. For salivary protein LC-MS/MS was performed. A total of 135 tick salivary proteins were identified of which 30 proteins were found exclusively in fully engorged nymph saliva, 74 in fully engorged adult females, and 31 were detected in both stages. Results of this may help researchers to identify tick proteins as potential candidates for further studies aimed to develop novel tick control strategies to affect both the ticks and the pathogens transmitted by them.

• Myung-Jo You(Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology, Chonbuk National University)
• ItabajaraDaSilvaVazJr(Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul)
• ItabajaraDaSilvaVazJr(Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul)
• Mohammad Saiful Islam(Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology, Chonbuk National University, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Obstetrics, Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Science,Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University)