Enzymes in saliva from four parasitic arthropods.

Enzyme assays and SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis were carried out on saliva and in some cases homogenates of salivary gland and gut from four parasitic arthropods (the cattle tick, Boophilus microplus (Canestrini); the mosquito, Aedes aegypti (L.); non-parasitic adult and parasitic larval blowfly of sheep, Lucilia cuprina (Wiedemann); the buffalo fly, Haematobia irritans exigua de Meijere). Saliva from all species showed large differences in the number and molecular weight of components, as judged by electrophoresis. Enzyme profiles, however, showed similar enzyme activities (phosphatase, esterase/lipase) in saliva from species with dissimilar feeding behaviours. There were obvious differences in the enzyme profiles of saliva and gut tissues from the different species that reflected feeding strategies. These differences were mainly in the type and levels of glycosidase and protease activities. It was concluded that many of the components of saliva from different species had similar functions, although a small number of them may be specifically adapted to the mode of feeding for each parasite.