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The effect of host resistance on the metabolic rate of engorged females of Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi
Author(s) -
RECHAV YIGAL,
FIELDEN LAURA J.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
medical and veterinary entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.028
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1365-2915
pISSN - 0269-283X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2915.1995.tb00136.x
Subject(s) - biology , tick , infestation , ixodidae , host (biology) , zoology , veterinary medicine , virology , ecology , botany , medicine
. This study investigated the effect of acquired resistance in guinea‐pigs on the metabolic rate of adult females of the tick Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi. Guinea‐pigs were subjected to three successive infestations of ticks and the rate of CO 2 production (Vco 2 ) measured in first and third infestation engorged females. Ticks which fed on resistant hosts showed a 52% decrease in mass compared to ticks that fed on naive animals. Reduction in mass was accompanied by a decrease in Vco 2 (mlh ‐1 ) per tick but an increase in mass specific Vco 2 (mlg _1 h _1 ). However, both groups shared a single allometric relationship between body mass and metabolic rate (Vco 2 ). We suggest that the differences in size rather than any factor directly relating to the mechanism of acquired resistance account for the differences in metabolic rate between ticks fed on naive and resistant guinea‐pigs.