Successful interrupted feeding of adult Rhipicephalus appendiculatus (Ixodidae) is accompanied by reprogramming of salivary gland protein expression.

Ixodid female ticks take one comparatively large bloodmeal which they convert to a single large egg mass and then they die. To examine the outcome of interrupted feeding, equal numbers of male and female Rhipicephalus appendiculatus adult ticks were fed on guinea pigs (host 1) for either 2, 4, or 6 days, or to engorgement (8 days). All of the fully engorged (D8) females laid a single large egg mass (80-160 mg/tick), while 85% of the day 6-fed (D6) female ticks (n = 20) each laid a small egg mass (6.