Whereas most invertebrates (animals that lack backbones) live for just a few weeks, ticks typically live for several years. Moreover, one particular group of ticks, the Ornithodoros ticks, can survive for several years without feeding. The proposed research will elucidate the behavioral and physiological means by which these ticks survive long periods of starvation. Ornithodoros ticks are the preeminent transmitters of relapsing fever to human and livestock. They are also the only biological transmitters of the African swine fever, a highly contagious disease against which drugs and vaccine are presently not available. The ability of the Ornithodoros ticks to harbor and transmit disease agents is enhanced by the fact that they feed on a variety of birds, mammals and reptiles. No less significant are their longevity and their ability to survive long periods of starvation. Because these ticks can live for as long as fifteen years without feeding, they are superb reservoirs of many bacterial, protozoan and viral diseases even in the absence of suitable hosts. A better understanding of the mechanisms for this spectacular capability of a physiologically and ecologically rational strategy for their control.
