What is the significance of transovarial passage in soft tick-borne disease ecology?
Answer
Pathogens are passed directly from the infected female tick to her eggs.
Transovarial passage is a critical biological feature distinguishing the maintenance of certain pathogens in soft tick populations. This mechanism allows pathogens to be transmitted directly from an infected female tick to her offspring, meaning nymphs and subsequent generations can be born infectious without ever having acquired the pathogen through a blood meal from an infected vertebrate host. This vertical transmission capability makes the long-term persistence and potential endemicity of the disease significantly more challenging to eradicate once a soft tick colony is established in a microhabitat.
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