Successful completion of the life cycle of Amblyomma variegatum using tick artificial membrane feeding system

Authors: PATURE, NAOMIE - Cirad, France; DHUNE, MELANIE - Cirad, France; VIMONISH, RUBIKAH - Washington State University; DUHAYON, MAXIME - Cirad, France; PAGES, NONITO - Cirad, France; Ueti, Massaro; RODRIGUES, VALERIE - Cirad, France; MEYER, DAMIEN - Cirad, France

Submitted to: Scientific Reports
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/8/2025
Publication Date: 11/17/2025
Citation: Pature, N., Dhune, M., Vimonish, R., Duhayon, M., Pages, N., Ueti, M.W., Rodrigues, V., Meyer, D.F. 2025. Successful completion of the life cycle of Amblyomma variegatum using tick artificial membrane feeding system . Scientific Reports. 12. Article 40165. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-23801-6.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-23801-6

Interpretive Summary: Amblyomma variegatum poses a significant threat to livestock health and productivity as the primary vector for Ehrlichia ruminantium, the pathogen responsible for heartwater, a debilitating disease in ruminants. This tropical tick displays complex feeding behaviors characterized by prolonged blood meals. Given the challenges of rearing ticks artificially without experimental animals, innovative solutions like artificial membranes have emerged as promising alternatives. Our study completed the life cycle of A. variegatum using an in vitro feeding system. We optimized critical factors such as humidity, temperature, and membrane thickness to closely mimic natural feeding conditions. To encourage attachment, we utilized synthetic pheromones and host hairs. Remarkably, attachment and engorgement rates for immature tick stages exceeded 80%. Additionally, adult ticks demonstrated a 35% oviposition rate, with newly molted artificial-larvae feeding similarly to natural-larvae. These findings highlight the potential of artificial feeding systems to deepen our understanding of A. variegatum's feeding behavior and pave the way for further research into tick-pathogen interactions and the feeding behaviors of other blood-feeding arthropods.

Technical Abstract: The three-host tick Amblyomma variegatum, commonly known as the tropical bont tick, poses a major threat to livestock health and productivity in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. The inability to control the tick and prevent the diseases it transmits is partly due to the necessity of rearing the tick on animals. Thus, the goal of this study was to adapt a previously developed artificial membrane feeding system to complete the life cycle of A. variegatum. All life stages of A. variegatum were fed using fresh goat blood at 38 °C and blood replacement occurred every 12 h. Key parameters, such as humidity, temperature and membrane thickness were optimized to mimic natural tick feeding conditions. The attachment and engorgement rates for immature tick stages exceeded 80%, demonstrating high feeding success using the artificial system. Adult female reproductive performance was evidenced by an oviposition rate of 35%. The larvae resulting from these eggs exhibited feeding patterns comparable to larvae derived from female ticks fed on goats. Collectively, these findings demonstrate the feasibility of using an artificial feeding system to complete the breeding cycle of A. variegatum without the use of live hosts for tick engorgement. This study is the first to demonstrate the successful completion of the full life cycle of the tropical bont tick A. variegatum under in vitro conditions. Consequently, this innovative approach will facilitate further research to close the knowledge gap, including understanding tick-pathogen interactions and enabling the feeding of other tick species or hematophagous arthropods of human and veterinary importance.