Fig. 1

Transovarial and transstadial maintenance of R. parkeri loads during the life stages of A. maculatum ticks. a Estimated R. parkeri load in immature and mature developmental stages of the tick, including the eggs, larva (unfed and blood-fed), nymphs (unfed and blood-fed), and adult males and females (unfed and partially blood-fed). b Time-dependent and tissue-specific R. parkeri load estimated in tick midgut and salivary gland tissues across different time points during tick infestation on sheep. The R. parkeri-infected ticks were infested on sheep and 5–7 ticks were removed from the host on days 2, 4, 5, and 7 post-infestation. Within 2 h of removal from the host, the individual ticks were dissected and their midgut tissues and salivary glands removed. The tissues from individual ticks were stored in RNAlater, RNA was extracted, and qRT-PCR was performed using rompB-specific primers. GAPDH primers were used to estimate the number of R. parkeri copies per tick GAPDH. At least three biological replicates were used in these experiments