- October 28, 2026
- By Kimbra Cutlip
University of Maryland-led research identified a specific biological pathway that promotes immunity to tick bites in some animals after repeated exposure. The pathway prevents ticks from feeding, highlighting a mechanism that could help researchers develop new preventive measures to defend against tick-borne illnesses.
The research was published Oct. 21, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Chrysoula Kitsou, an associate research professor in the Department of Veterinary Medicine at UMD, was the lead author of the study, which included co-authors from UMD as well as from the Basque Research and Technology Alliance in Bizkaia, Spain; Texas Tech University; the University of Georgia; the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences; and Louisiana State University.
Ticks are host to a wide variety of illnesses that have a significant impact on human health globally, including Lyme disease and Alpha-gal syndrome. While vaccines and other preventative measures have remained elusive, stopping bites in the first place would provide broad protection.
Previous studies have shown that certain animals such as guinea pigs and humans can build resistance to tick bites through repeated exposure, meaning their skin reacts to prevent the tick from feeding and it falls off before it can transmit disease. However, the biology behind this resistance is not fully understood, so the researchers went on a hunt for the molecular mechanism at work.
They found that the host protein IL36γ is a primary driver of the inflammatory response that prevents a tick from feeding. Then they demonstrated that interfering with IL36y in guinea pigs reversed the animals’ natural acquired immunity. Finally, the researchers used gene editing and other methods to induce immunity in mice, which don’t naturally acquire it, by silencing the pathway in their skin that naturally blocks IL36y.
The findings offer a new conceptual framework, said Utpal Pal, MPower professor in the Department of Veterinary Medicine at UMD, and the corresponding author of the study.
“We integrated immunology, genomics and genome editing to develop several valuable experimental resources,” he said. “These efforts and resources will facilitate broader investigations into host-vector-pathogen interactions and may ultimately inform innovative strategies to mitigate the burden of vector-borne diseases.”