Intracellular infection of tick cell lines by the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae.

The article discusses a study on the Metarhizium anisopliae as a saprophytic entomopathogenix fungus virulent in a tick cell lines and those within the genera Ixodes and Amblyomma. The author examines the uptake of wild-type and green fluorescent protein expressing fungal strains into two different tick cell lines in order to determine whether M.anisopliae could enter and persist within tick cells. Scanning, confocal fluorescent microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were used to monitor the tick cells uptake.