Ultrastructural study of the infection process of Rickettsia conorii in the salivary glands of the vector tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus

This work was designed to study the infection process of Rickettsia conorii in the salivary glands of experimentally infected Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks. One hundred six uninfected engorged nymphs were intracelomically inoculated with approximately 2 x 10(3) plaque-forming units of a rickettsial suspension. After the molt, unfed and fed adults were dissected, and the salivary glands were extracted and processed for transmission electron microscopy observation. Three different uninfected control groups were used for (1) evaluating the impact of the inoculation procedure, (2) establishing the feeding period of infected ticks, and (3) ultrastructural characterization of the salivary glands. Overall, 75.5% (80 of 106) of the nymphs inoculated with rickettsiae died during the molt or soon after hatching into adult instars; 50% (12 of 24) of the remaining infected adults showed severe malformations compromising their viability. In apparently healthy specimens, time of engorgement was longer. The contrast with the negative control groups was statistically significant, suggesting that R. conorii exerts a strong negative effect on the vector ticks. The ultrastructural study showed that in the salivary glands of infected ticks, rickettsial growth occurs preferentially in central, peripheral, and interstitial acini cells.