ABC transporters as a multidrug detoxification mechanism in Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus

ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters are responsible for pumping drugs across membranes and are an important drug detoxification mechanism. Since ABC transporters act on a wide spectrum of chemical compounds, they have been associated with multidrug resistance phenotype in various parasites and cancer cells. Here, we document the presence of a Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus tick population (Jaguar) resistant to four acaricide classes (organophosphates (OP), synthetic pyrethroids (SP), amitraz and macrocyclic lactones (ML)) and reveal that the cattle tick has a multidrug detoxification mechanism based on ABC transporter proteins. Acaricide toxicity was assessed using the larval packet test (LPT), and mortality data were subjected to probit analysis using a susceptible strain (POA) as reference. Larvae were pre-exposed to sub-lethal doses of the ABC-transporter inhibitors, cyclosporin A (CsA) and MK571, and subsequently treated with ivermectin, abamectin, moxidectin, chlorpyriphos, cypermethrin, or amitraz in LPT. Results show that lethal concentrations 50?% (LC₅₀) of ivermectin, abamectin, moxidectin (MLs), and chlorpyriphos (OP) were significantly reduced in larvae exposed to CsA and MK571 inhibitors in the Jaguar resistant population, but LC₅₀ did not change in POA susceptible strain larvae. LC₅₀ of cypermetrin (SP) and amitraz remained unchanged in inhibitor-exposed larvae, compared to larvae from Jaguar and POA strains not exposed to inhibitor. These results suggest that ABC transporter proteins can protect ticks against a wide range of acaricides and have an important implication in drug resistance development as a multidrug detoxification mechanism.