To develop the model, researchers dissected the midgut, salivary glands and nervous tissue of Ixodes scapularis ticks. The team then cultured flaviviruses in the dissected organs to assess viral viability over the course of several days. Researchers found the Powassan virus and another related virus could infect and spread in a tick’s salivary glands and midgut.
Researchers said “the culture model will greatly increase knowledge about how flaviviruses infect ticks and could become a tool to evaluate medical countermeasures against tick-borne viruses,” according to an NIH release.
The rare Powassan virus was implicated in the death of a man in New York state in June. Individuals sickened with the Powassan virus may experience symptoms such as fever, headache, memory loss and seizures.
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