How does a tick attach and feed? - briefly
A tick inserts its hypostome, a barbed feeding organ, into the host’s skin and secretes cement‑like saliva to lock the attachment, then ingests blood while its body expands over several days. During this process the tick alternates between slow and rapid intake phases, with salivary compounds preventing clotting and immune detection.
How does a tick attach and feed? - in detail
Ticks secure themselves to a host through a specialized mouthpart called the hypostome, which is covered with backward‑pointing barbs. The attachment sequence proceeds as follows:
- The tick climbs onto the host’s skin and searches for a suitable site, often in warm, moist areas.
- Sensory organs detect heat, carbon‑dioxide, and movement, guiding the questing tick to a bite location.
- The chelicerae pierce the epidermis, creating a small incision.
- The hypostome is inserted into the dermal tissue; its barbs prevent withdrawal.
- Salivary glands release a cocktail of bioactive compounds, including anticoagulants, vasodilators, and immunomodulators, which maintain blood flow and suppress host defenses.
- A cement‑like substance, secreted from the tick’s salivary glands, hardens around the hypostome, forming a secure attachment scar known as the feeding lesion.
After attachment, the tick expands its body by ingesting blood through a tube‑like pharynx. The feeding process comprises three phases:
- Initial slow feeding – the tick draws a small volume of blood, allowing the host’s immune response to diminish.
- Rapid engorgement – over several days, the tick’s mass can increase by up to 100‑fold, driven by continuous blood intake.
- Detachment – once engorgement reaches a critical threshold, the cement dissolves, and the tick releases its grip, dropping off the host to continue its life cycle.
Throughout the feeding period, the tick’s saliva continuously modulates host hemostasis and inflammation, ensuring an uninterrupted blood supply. The combination of mechanical anchoring, chemical secretions, and physiological adaptation enables the tick to remain attached for extended durations while extracting nutrients essential for development and reproduction.