Structure of the salivary glands of the unfed male tick Amblyomma cajennense (Fabricius) (Acarina: Ixodidae)

Abstract

Acini in the salivary glands of unfed male Amblyomma cajennense of different ages, were studied. The salivary glands consist of one agranular and three granular acini types. The agranular acini are directly attached to the medial and anterior portion of the main salivary duct, and to some branches of the secondary ducts. A large, clear, central cell occupies the centre and this cell is in contact with the acinar lumen. There is no valve to the lumen. Granular acini consist of approximately six to fourteen cells (type II acini) or eight to thirteen (type III acini). The type II acini have three types of granular cells ("a", "b" and "c") and a valve: the type III acini have three types of granular cells ("d", "e" and "f" and a valve

Cytoplasmic RNA and nuclear changes detected cytochemically during the degeneration of salivary glands of the tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille, 1806) (Acari, Ixodidae)

“…In type IV acinus of unfed males of R. sanguineus, the presence of reduced nuclei, condensed chromatin, and absence of nucleoli and cytoplasmic RNA supports the results obtained by Furquim (2007) with males of R. sanguineus, indicating absence of transcription and cell inactivity (Till, 1961;Binnington, 1978;Walker et al, 1985;Fawcett et al, 1986;Gill and Walker, 1987;Sonenshine, 1991;Serra-Freire and Olivieri, 1993).…”

Salivary glands of Amblyomma cajennense (Acari: Ixodidae): a histological and an ultrastructural overview

“…The results here obtained corroborate those obtained by other authors for Ixodidae in general (Binnington 1978;Serra-Freire and Olivieri 1993;Nunes et al 2008). According to Till (1961) and Balashov (1983) the salivary ducts would be constituted by different layers (cuticular and epithelial), as it was observed here.…”

“…Such fact put their salivary glands of Ixodidea in general as important organs for their biological success. Morphologically, these glands are formed by types I, II and III acini, which present a regular distribution over the gland, according to what had been mentioned by other authors both in this and other tick species (Binnington 1978;Walker et al 1985;Fawcett et al 1986;Gill and Walker 1987;Sonenshine 1991;Serra-Freire and Olivieri 1993;Nunes et al 2005).…”

“…The type I acini are agranular and play a role in osmoregulation, being found throughout the main salivary duct; they exhibit a central cell surrounded by smaller peripheral ones (Fawcett et al 1986;Gill and Walker 1987;Marzouk and Darwish 1994;Serra-Freire and Olivieri 1993).…”

Morpho-histochemical characterization of salivary gland cells of males of the tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Acari: Ixodidae) at different feeding stages: description of new cell types

“…The different types of acini found in the glands of ticks are associated with the several roles played by these organs: type I acini maintain hydration levels and osmoregulation in these parasites (McMullen et al 1976;Binnington 1978;Walker et al 1985;Gill and Walker 1987;Serra-Freire and Olivieri 1993;Gaede and Knulle 1997); types II and III secrete compounds necessary for the attachment of the tick to the host (formation of cement cone) and to manipulate the host, allowing the parasite to feed on blood (Binnington 1978;Walker et al 1985;Gill and Walker 1987); the function of type IV acinus is not completely understood. Some authors suggest a role in mating (Feldman-Muhsam et al 1970) while according to other, these acini might also be involved in the formation of the cement cone (Fawcett et al 1986).…”