Harm or protection? The adaptive function of tick toxins.

The existence of tick toxins is an old enigma that has intrigued scientists for a long time. The adaptive value of using deadly toxins for predatory animals is obvious: they try to kill the prey in the most effective way or protect themselves from their natural enemies. Ticks, however, are blood-sucking parasites, and it seems paradoxical that they have toxins similar to spiders, scorpions and snakes.