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Conference Agenda

Overview and details of the sessions of this conference. Please select a date or location to show only sessions at that day or location. Please select a single session for detailed view (with abstracts and downloads if available).

Daily Overview

Session

CP13.1: Ticks, Mites, kissing bugs 5 min talks
Location: Lecture Theatre 3
Session Chair: Katja Fischer, QIMR Berghofer
Session Chair: Xavier Barton, Murdoch University

Presentation 3

Quantitative Assessment of α‑Gal Production in Ixodes holocyclus Salivary Glands Using Indirect ELISA Methods

Emily Smith^1,2, Alexander Gofton², Raine Mercedes², Stephen Barker³, Andrew Walker¹

1: Institute for Molecular Bioscience, UQ, Australia; 2: CSIRO; 3: School of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, UQ

Alpha‑gal syndrome (AGS) is a tick bite-induced, IgE‑mediated allergy to the carbohydrate galactose‑α‑1,3‑galactose (α‑Gal), characterised by delayed-onset hypersensitivity to mammalian meat and other mammal‑derived products. AGS occurs globally where ticks bite humans, with Australia experiencing some of the highest rates of AGS prevalence worldwide. Existing studies from North American and European tick species suggest that some ticks can produce α-Gal in their salivary glands, and that expression varies with feeding stage. However, comparable quantitative data are absent for the causative agent of AGS in Australia, the eastern paralysis tick, Ixodes holocyclus. Little is known about how much α‑Gal I. holocyclus produces in its salivary glands, dynamics of α‑Gal levels during blood feeding, or how host species influence α‑Gal production.

To address this, indirect enzyme‑linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) will be used to quantify α‑Gal levels in I. holocyclus salivary glands across the feeding cycle and between different host species. By generating quantitative profiles of α‑Gal abundance and integrating these with complementary localisation studies, this work aims to establish the first systematic assessment of α‑Gal production dynamics in I. holocyclus. These data will provide critical insight into how tick biology and feeding behaviour shape α‑Gal exposure and AGS risk in Australia.