Red Deer Responses to Ticks

This is a PhD project, which also investigates immune responses of humans to mosquitoes and is a NERC-CASE award between the University of Aberdeen (supervisors Dr Peter Billingsley and Dr. Jeremy Sternberg) and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Oxford (supervisor Prof. Pat Nuttall).

The aim of the project is to examine antibody responses in Red deer to components of deer tick (Ixodes ricinus) saliva.  Ticks secrete saliva into their host which modifies the deer's blood clotting and immune defences.  The deer host consequently produces antibodies specific to tick saliva.  Using sera from blood samples and a record of tick numbers from skin samples, the following questions are being investigated and how these can vary between individual deer and sites:

1)       Does antibody response change seasonally?

2)       Geographically are there variations in response due to differing climates, tick exposure?

3)       Is the age/sex/condition of the deer a factor?

Antibody responses to several tick salivary gland proteins have been identified.  While no patterns associated with age, sex, condition or tick burden are yet evident, we are continuing to screen serum samples.  A limited number of salivary antigens will be selected and characterised for their ability to raise a strong antibody response and thereby act as markers for tick exposure.

BDS involvement required recruiting estates willing to take part, the training of stalkers in sampling techniques and the issue of sampling kits.  The blood and skin samples supporting this research are being collected from Red deer exposed to ticks on three Scottish estates - one in the Western Isles, one in the centre of Scotland and the third on the East Coast with a comparative site in the Thetford area of East Anglia.  All of these site have variable tick densities with a fifth site at a Fife deer farm, which has no ticks, used as a negative control. Collection of project samples was delayed by Foot and Mouth Epidemic so has been extended into June 2002 to compensate. 

For more details contact Julia Mitchel  on