What does a tick do with blood? - briefly
Ticks attach to a host, pierce the skin with their hypostome, and draw blood into a feeding tube that mixes with saliva. The meal is concentrated into a protein‑rich nutrient, excess fluid is expelled, and any pathogens in the blood can be transmitted to the host.
What does a tick do with blood? - in detail
Ticks attach to a host, pierce the skin with their hypostome, and insert a feeding canal that reaches the capillary network. During the early phase of attachment, the tick secretes saliva containing anticoagulants, vasodilators, and immunomodulatory proteins. These compounds prevent clot formation, keep blood vessels dilated, and suppress the host’s immune response, allowing uninterrupted ingestion.
The tick’s midgut functions as a storage and digestion chamber. Blood is drawn into the gut lumen, where it is mixed with digestive enzymes such as proteases and lipases. Hemoglobin is broken down into amino acids, which are absorbed across the gut epithelium. Excess water and salts are excreted back into the host through the salivary glands, maintaining osmotic balance.
While feeding, the tick can acquire and transmit pathogens. Pathogens present in the host’s bloodstream may enter the tick’s gut, cross the gut barrier, and migrate to the salivary glands. During subsequent feeding events, they are injected into a new host together with the tick’s saliva.
After engorgement, the tick detaches, having expanded up to several times its unfed size. The stored nutrients support molting to the next developmental stage or, in adult females, egg production. The entire process can last from several days to weeks, depending on tick species and life stage.