What are ticks good for?

Parasites, to which the ticks (Ixodida) belong, are unpleasant contemporaries that can lead to serious illnesses. But scientists also see a benefit in them, as explained below.

Use as food

Ticks occur in abundance under optimal conditions. If they are soaked, they can survive for many years on just one "ration" and continue to multiply.

There are numerous species of animals in nature that feed on parasites. Worms and mosquitoes are right at the top of the list, followed by ticks. They are thus significantly involved in the regulation of other living beings populations. If there were no tick parasites, this would significantly reduce the food supply. It would make foraging more difficult for many animals and, in the worst case, lead to starvation for several species that depend on food in nature. Ixodida is important for the following animals, for example:

• Chokes
• Lizards
• Pheasants
• Hedgehog
• crow
• moles
• Partridges
• Pigeons

Note: As a food object, ticks can also transmit pathogens to their natural predators as soon as they come into contact with the blood. In the worst case, they themselves become disease carriers.

Acceleration of evolution

Researchers at universities in Bern, Switzerland, and in Finland have come to the conclusion that the blood-sucking parasites stimulate evolution. Parasites pollute living beings when they are attacked. As a result, the viable system continues to develop in order to better counteract “tick attacks” or to be able to circumvent the disturbances caused by them. This leads to changes and, accordingly, to accelerated evolution in some species. The researchers assume that this gives rise to offspring in some living beings who have increasingly fewer health consequences to fear from the parasites.

Immune system benefits

Yes, the tick can transmit life-threatening pathogens, but the bite also gets the immune system going. If a tick is discovered quickly and professionally removed, the risk of serious illness in most living things is low. As a result of the bite, animal and human body systems immediately go on "alert". The body's own defense system is stimulated and sent off to eliminate it. Without such stimuli from foreign / hazardous substances, the immune system increasingly falls into a kind of rest mode and, however, continuously breaks down itself. That means: your own defenses decrease and the body becomes more and more unable to defend itself against it. The susceptibility to illness increases. A life entirely without parasites like these bloodsuckers would mean that significantly more living beings would not survive even minor illnesses.

Note: That doesn't mean that mat Should provoke tick bites. There are other, less risky ways to boost your immune system.

Egg tray

Some wasps prefer the nymphs and tick larvae to lay their eggs in their bodies. When the wasp offspring hatch, they feed on the tick's innards. As a result, the offspring of ticks die.

These wasps in particular find egg-laying places in the parasites:

• Ixodiphagus hookeri, I. texanus, I. theilerae

Ticks against cancer

In Brazil, researchers examined the saliva of the ixodida. They have come to the conclusion that there are molecules in it that could potentially be of use in the fight against cancer cells. According to the researchers, these molecules show reactions on the cells that make killing likely. So far there are no exact studies, but these results are of worldwide interest found in science, so that more extensive investigations can be expected in the near future.

Protection of native species

More and more animal species are being introduced from abroad. These include those that multiply extremely quickly and spread so widely that they displace native species. In other words: the habitat of native species is decreasing. Parasites such as the tick play a major role in this, because they also find hosts in the introduced animal species and harm many of them. In some species, ticks are often able to disrupt the reproduction of such invasive species. In this way, at least where the bloodsuckers are, a massive spread is prevented. A researcher at the University of California found in a study that parasites are of immense importance in “controlling” population size.

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