Ticks as potential vectors of Mycobacterium leprae: Use of tick cell lines to culture the bacilli and generate transgenic strains
Fig 1
Viability of Mycobacterium leprae in different tick tissues after artificial infection of nearly-engorged female Amblyomma sculptum.
Analysis of viability in A. sculptum midgut 2 hours (2h) and 15 days after artificial feeding, in eggs and larvae, and in skin biopsies from larval feeding sites. Each data point represents an engorged female, a pool of eggs or larvae, or a rabbit skin biopsy fragment. Levels of 16S rRNA (viable bacillus marker) and 16S rDNA (M. leprae genome normalizer) were determined by qPCR. Through generation of qPCR standard curves by titration of known numbers of live M. leprae bacilli in different tissues, values were converted into number of genomes (viable M. leprae, y-axis). Combined results from three independent experiments, in which none of the negative control samples showed detectable signal; **** indicates p <0.0001 by Dunn’s multiple comparisons test.