Downregulation of Carboxylesterase Gene Expression In Hyalomma Anatolicum Ticks Exposed to Cypermethrin And Deltamethrin

Abstract

Acaricide resistance (AR) is a major challenging tick control issue, a process by which the spread of tick-borne diseases, such as Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) can easily be stopped. The AR can be performed by ticks deploying some enzymes, such as carboxylesterases (CXEs) that degrades the these acaricide into harmless metabolites to the host tick. The current study was performed to understand the gene expression status of the CXE gene after experimental tick exposure to cypermethrin and deltamethrin. The study included the use of 40 adult female ticks divided into 20 ticks per acaricide used (10 exposure and 10 controls). The ticks exposed to each acaricide as spraying in plates and were let without exposure for 10hrs until total RNA was extracted from all tick. The pooled RNA from each group was subjected to a quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) method. The results revealed significant (p<0.05) decreases in the mRNA expression level of the CXE gene after the exposure to the acaricides. The presented study, here, may indicate important information regarding susceptibility of ticks to cypermethrin and deltamethrin with no observed resistance.