Abstract
Argas japonicus Yamaguti, Clifford & Tipton were allowed to feed on citrated, heparinized or defibrinated whole bloods of various animals through a chicken skin. The age or sex of the ticks, blood temperatures, 37° and 42℃, fresh or stored chicken bloods and skins did not have any influence on the feeding rate of the tick. Optimal blood temperature lied between 35°&40℃, though the tick fed on blood at a wide range of temperature, 24.5°-44.3℃. The temperature gradient between blood and atmosphere did not have any influence on the feeding of the tick. Ticks fed on mammalian bloods indiscriminately, but some bloods seemed not to be suitable as the food of the tick. Protonymphs were reared up to adults by serial feedings on various bloods through the chicken skin. With the fresh, defibrinated chicken blood, 92.5% of the protonymphs gave rise to adults; 75% of individuals were reared up to adults with the defibrinated chicken and rabbit bloods stored in the deep freezer; only 42.5% gave rise to adults with the citrated chicken blood; all individuals died after feeding once or twice on the defibrinated sheep blood stored in the deep freezer. The AT-31 strain of Japanese encephalitis virus imbibed by the tick through the chicken skin was detectable in the tick for 5 days. It was proved that the orally infected virus did not multiply in the tick, though the virus introduced into the hemocoel could propagate.
