Borrelia burgdorferi is the causative agent of Lyme disease and is transmitted to vertebrate hosts by Ixodes spp. ticks. The spirochaete relies heavily on its arthropod host for basic metabolic functions and has developed complex interactions with ticks to successfully colonize, persist and, at the optimal time, exit the tick. For example, proteins shield spirochaetes from immune factors in the bloodmeal and facilitate the transition between vertebrate and arthropod environments. On infection, B. burgdorferi induces selected tick proteins that modulate the vector gut microbiota towards an environment that favours colonization by the spirochaete. Additionally, the recent sequencing of the Ixodes scapularis genome and characterization of tick immune defence pathways, such as the JAK–STAT, immune deficiency and cross-species interferon-γ pathways, have advanced our understanding of factors that are important for B. burgdorferi persistence in the tick. In this Review, we summarize interactions between B. burgdorferi and I. scapularis during infection, as well as interactions with tick gut and salivary gland proteins important for establishing infection and transmission to the vertebrate host.

伯氏疏螺旋体是莱姆病的病原体，通过硬蜱属传播给脊椎动物宿主。蜱虫。螺旋体在很大程度上依赖其节肢动物宿主的基本代谢功能，并与蜱虫形成了复杂的相互作用，以成功地在蜱虫体内定殖、持续存在并在最佳时间退出。例如，蛋白质保护螺旋体免受血粉中的免疫因素影响，并促进脊椎动物和节肢动物环境之间的转换。在感染时，B. burgdorferi诱导选定的蜱蛋白，这些蛋白将载体肠道微生物群调节到有利于螺旋体定植的环境。此外，最近对肩突硬蜱的测序基因组和蜱虫免疫防御途径的特征，例如 JAK-STAT、免疫缺陷和跨物种干扰素-γ 途径，促进了我们对B. burgdorferi在蜱虫中持久存在的重要因素的理解。在这篇综述中，我们总结了伯氏疏螺旋体和肩胛疏螺旋体在感染过程中的相互作用，以及与蜱虫肠道和唾液腺蛋白的相互作用，这些蛋白对于建立感染和向脊椎动物宿主的传播很重要。