Ticks are obligatory hematophagous ectoparasites that feed on a large variety of vertebrates. In the laboratory, animals (mainly mice and rabbits) are used to maintain tick colonies. However, the use of animals to rear ticks can be expensive and requires dedicated animal facilities. In addition, research institutions are committed to the principle of 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement), which encourages the use of alternatives to animals when possible. The development of artificial membrane systems has provided an alternative to animals, at least for some tick species. Over the years, different modifications in artificial feeding systems have led to new applications, including acaricide testing, tick-pathogen interaction, and novel approaches to study tick physiology. Although artificial membrane feeding still has some limitations, the method can provide numerous advantages, including the standardization of acaricide treatments under controlled conditions, an alternative to animals for tick rearing, and reduction of cost associated with animals and animal housing facilities. In this review, we summarized the evolution of tick feeding membranes and their applications over time, explaining the modifications incorporated to study tick physiology, tick-pathogen interactions, and acaricide testing.

cks是必须的嗜血性外寄生虫，以多种脊椎动物为食。在实验室中，动物（主要是小鼠和兔子）被用来维持壁虱菌落。然而，将动物用于后壁tick可能很昂贵，并且需要专用的动物设施。此外，研究机构致力于3R（置换，还原和精炼）的原则，该原则鼓励在可能的情况下使用动物的替代品。至少在某些壁虱物种上，人工膜系统的发展为动物提供了替代方案。多年来，人工喂养系统的不同修改导致了新的应用，包括杀螨剂测试、,-病原体相互作用和研究tick生理的新方法。尽管人工膜饲喂仍然有一些局限性，该方法可以提供许多优点，包括在可控条件下标准化杀螨剂处理，用于tick饲养的动物替代品以及减少与动物和动物饲养设施有关的成本。在这篇综述中，我们总结了tick喂养膜的演变及其在一段时间内的应用，并解释了用于研究ology生理，tick-病原体相互作用和杀螨剂测试的修饰。