000126967 001__ 126967 000126967 005__ 20241125101143.0 000126967 0247_ $$2doi$$a10.1186/s13071-023-05812-2 000126967 0248_ $$2sideral$$a134434 000126967 037__ $$aART-2023-134434 000126967 041__ $$aeng 000126967 100__ $$aFernández-Ruiz, Natalia$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza 000126967 245__ $$aDecontamination protocols affect the internal microbiota of ticks 000126967 260__ $$c2023 000126967 5060_ $$aAccess copy available to the general public$$fUnrestricted 000126967 5203_ $$aStudies on the microbiota of ticks have promoted hypotheses about the combined effects of the bacterial community, its functional contributions to the tick’s physiology or probable competition effects with some tick-borne pathogens. However, knowledge on the origin of the microbiota of newly hatched larvae is missing. This study aimed to elucidate the source(s) of the microbiota in unfed tick larvae, addressing the composition of the “core microbiota” and the best ways to decontaminate eggs for microbiota studies. We applied laboratory degree bleach washes and/or ultraviolet light treatments on engorged Rhipicephalus australis females and/or their eggs. No significant effects of these treatments on the reproductive parameters of females and the hatching rates of eggs were observed. However, the different treatments did show striking effects on the composition of the microbiota. The results indicated that bleach washes disrupted the internal tick microbiota in females, implying that bleach may have entered the tick and subsequently affected the microbiota. Furthermore, the analyses of results demonstrated that the ovary is a main source of tick microbiota, while the contribution of Gené’s organ (a part of the female reproductive system that secretes a protective wax coat onto tick eggs) or the male’s spermatophore requires further investigation. Further studies are needed to identify best practice protocols for the decontamination of ticks for microbiota studies. Graphical Abstract 000126967 540__ $$9info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess$$aby$$uhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/ 000126967 590__ $$a3.0$$b2023 000126967 592__ $$a0.967$$b2023 000126967 591__ $$aTROPICAL MEDICINE$$b6 / 28 = 0.214$$c2023$$dQ1$$eT1 000126967 593__ $$aParasitology$$c2023$$dQ1 000126967 591__ $$aPARASITOLOGY$$b11 / 45 = 0.244$$c2023$$dQ1$$eT1 000126967 593__ $$aInfectious Diseases$$c2023$$dQ1 000126967 594__ $$a6.3$$b2023 000126967 655_4 $$ainfo:eu-repo/semantics/article$$vinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 000126967 700__ $$aPinecki-Socias, Sophia 000126967 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0001-7483-046X$$aEstrada-Peña, Agustín$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza 000126967 700__ $$aWu-Chuang, Alejandra 000126967 700__ $$aMaitre, Apolline 000126967 700__ $$aObregón, Dasiel 000126967 700__ $$aCabezas-Cruz, Alejandro 000126967 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0002-1204-4356$$ade Blas, Ignacio$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza 000126967 700__ $$aNijhof, Ard M. 000126967 7102_ $$11009$$2773$$aUniversidad de Zaragoza$$bDpto. Patología Animal$$cÁrea Sanidad Animal 000126967 773__ $$g16 (2023), 189 [13 pp]$$pParasit. vectors$$tParasites & vectors$$x1756-3305 000126967 8564_ $$s3122472$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/126967/files/texto_completo.pdf$$yVersión publicada 000126967 8564_ $$s2482366$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/126967/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon$$xicon$$yVersión publicada 000126967 909CO $$ooai:zaguan.unizar.es:126967$$particulos$$pdriver 000126967 951__ $$a2024-11-22-12:03:22 000126967 980__ $$aARTICLE