Digestion in the cattle-tick Boophilus microplus: light microscope study of the gut cells in nymphs and females

The gut caeca of B. microplus were studied by light microscopy using paraffin and methacrylate embedded material. It has been shown that during feeding of nymphs and adults, the midgut consists of five cell types, stem cell, digest cell, secretory cells (s₁) and (s₂) and basophilic cell. The stem cell differentiates into any of the other cell types. The digest cell matures through a series of stages and has up to three generations during feeding on the host. The final generation has two distinct cell types, the first type is thought to be capable of both phagocytosis and pinocytosis. Cells of the second type are predominant at the end of feeding, and may be specialized to ingest and digest haemoglobin. The final stage of the digest series is the spent digest cell which discharges its content into the gut lumen or is excreted whole. The basophilic cell has structures which suggest that one of its functions is to transport digested materials, water and ions across the gut. Secretory cell (s₁) secretes a glycoprotein which may be a haemolysin and secretory cell (s₂) secretes the gut “colloid” mass, an acid mucopolysaccharide, which may function as an anticoagulant. Intracellular digestion leads to the breakdown of host blood and storage of lipid and glycogen in the digest cells.