Ellen Marie Dotson

Comparative investigation of the egg ecdysteroids of ticks using radioimmunoassay and metabolic studies

Abstract Freshly laid eggs of ticks contain variable amounts of ecdysteroids, either under free form (as in Amblyomma hebraeum and A. variegatum) or the form of apolar conjugates (as in Ornithodoros moubata or Boophilus microplus) or a mixture of both free and conjugated forms (Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, Hyalomma dromedarii). In a same species, there is also a high variability in the quality and quantity of ecdysteroids incorporated. We would like to discuss the meaning of this accumulation of these compounds in the eggs.