Transovarial transmission

Transovarial and transstadial transmission of the Ixodes tick

Transovarial or transovarian transmission (transmission from parent to offspring via the ovaries) occurs in certain arthropod vectors as they transmit pathogens from parent to offspring.^[1] This process, used by a wide variety of parasites, is also known as vertical transmission.^[2] For example, Rickettsia rickettsii, carried within ticks, is passed on from parent to offspring tick by transovarial transmission. This is in contrast to parasites such as Rickettsia prowazekii, which are not passed on by transovarian transmission due to killing the vector that carries it (in this case, the human louse). Other examples of parasites that use this mechanism of transmission include the aedes mosquito vector of the yellow fever virus and in phlebotomine sandflies that transmit pappataci fever.^[3]

Richard Dawkins in The Extended Phenotype notes that "bacterial endosymbionts of insects which are transmitted transovarially" share an interest in the "success of their host's gametes ... as well as the survival of their host's body." In this case, "the interest of the host genes and parasite genes might not be quite identical, but they would..... be very much closer than the case of fluke and snail." where host and parasite have different means of propagation into the next generation, and therefore more divergent interests.^[4]

See also

• Transstadial transmission

References

• Murray, Patrick R.; Rosenthal, Ken S.; Pfaller, Michael A. Medical Microbiology, Fifth Edition. United States: Elsevier Mosby, 2005

1. Szklarzewicz, Teresa; Michalik, Anna (2017). "Transovarial Transmission of Symbionts in Insects". Oocytes. Results and Problems in Cell Differentiation. Vol. 63. pp. 43–67. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-60855-6_3. ISBN 978-3-319-60854-9. ISSN 0080-1844. PMID 28779313.
2. Smith, J. E.; Dunn, A. M. (June 1991). "Transovarial transmission". Parasitology Today (Personal Ed.). 7 (6): 146–148. doi:10.1016/0169-4758(91)90283-t. ISSN 0169-4758. PMID 15463476.
3. Tesh, R.B. (1984). "Transovarial transmission of arboviruses in their invertebrate vectors". In K.F. Harris (ed.). Current topics in vector research. Vol. 2. Abc-Clio, LLC. pp. 57–76. ISBN 0-275-91433-X. Archived from the original on 2012-12-20.
4. Dawkins, Richard (2016). The extended phenotype : the long reach of the gene. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-878891-1. OCLC 1156420992.