2020 年 71 巻 2 号 p. 57-64
Ticks are obligate hematophagous ectoparasites that transmit a wide variety of pathogens to humans and animals. The incidence of tick-borne diseases has increased worldwide in both humans and domestic animals over the past years. In recent years, studies have shown that targeting tick proteins by vaccination can not only reduce blood feeding and reproduction of tick, but also the infection and transmission of pathogens from the tick to the vertebrate host. In this article, I review physiological features of tick blood feeding and the tick-protective antigens that have been identified for the formulation of anti-tick vaccines.