[The characteristics of the ixodid tick-vertebrate animal parasitic system]

Abstract

The parasitic system ixodid tick (parasite)--vertebrate animal (host) is relatively stable in space and time. Equilibrium state in the system is maintained at the low levels of the hosts' infection and moderate intensity of their immunity. Parasite sensitizes the host's organism at the stage of feeding on antigens of its saliva and the host develops different degrees of resistance preventing the subsequent individuals of ticks from normal feeding. Antitick immunity is species specific. Its intensity is defined by the species belonging of the parasite and host, intensity and intervals between infections, availability of "anti-immune mechanisms" in tick and by many other factors, which are realized at the feeding stage. Regulation of the number of ticks, depending on their abundance in the host's population, is attained due to the oversparse, close to negative binomial distribution on hosts. This mechanism functions on the principle of feedback, so that at the excessive number of the parasite some individuals in the host's population, which are especially subjected to infection, do not cope with parasitic burden and die. However, ticks, which failed to finish their feeding and represent a disproportionately great part of the whole parasite's population, die together with them and the parasitic system quickly restores its stability. In anthropocoenoses and ecosystems at different stages of anthropogenic transformation mutual regulation mechanisms of the parasite and host number break down. As a consequence, extremely high rises in the number of ticks and epizootics of agricultural animals associated with them can occur.