{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,11]],"date-time":"2025-12-11T20:56:45Z","timestamp":1765486605508,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":102,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,4,19]],"date-time":"2021-04-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1618790400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia","award":["FRGS\/1\/2020\/STG01\/UKM\/02\/3"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["FRGS\/1\/2020\/STG01\/UKM\/02\/3"]}]},{"name":"Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha (JCCM), Spain and EU-FEDER","award":["GALINFEC SBPLY\/17\/180501\/000185"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["GALINFEC SBPLY\/17\/180501\/000185"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Viruses"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Coronavirus-like organisms have been previously identified in Arthropod ectoparasites (such as ticks and unfed cat flea). Yet, the question regarding the possible role of these arthropods as SARS-CoV-2 passive\/biological transmission vectors is still poorly explored. In this study, we performed in silico structural and binding energy calculations to assess the risks associated with possible ectoparasite transmission. We found sufficient similarity between ectoparasite ACE and human ACE2 protein sequences to build good quality 3D-models of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike:ACE complex to assess the impacts of ectoparasite mutations on complex stability. For several species (e.g., water flea, deer tick, body louse), our analyses showed no significant destabilisation of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike:ACE complex, suggesting these species would bind the viral Spike protein. Our structural analyses also provide structural rationale for interactions between the viral Spike and the ectoparasite ACE proteins. Although we do not have experimental evidence of infection in these ectoparasites, the predicted stability of the complex suggests this is possible, raising concerns of a possible role in passive transmission of the virus to their human hosts.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/v13040708","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,4,19]],"date-time":"2021-04-19T21:59:49Z","timestamp":1618869589000},"page":"708","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":10,"title":["Arthropod Ectoparasites Have Potential to Bind SARS-CoV-2 via ACE"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4772-7656","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Su Datt","family":"Lam","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, UCL, Darwin Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK"},{"name":"Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4079-0257","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paul","family":"Ashford","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, UCL, Darwin Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sandra","family":"D\u00edaz-S\u00e1nchez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"SaBio, Instituto de Investigaci\u00f3n en Recursos Cineg\u00e9ticos IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo s\/n, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4172-9079","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Margarita","family":"Villar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"SaBio, Instituto de Investigaci\u00f3n en Recursos Cineg\u00e9ticos IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo s\/n, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain"},{"name":"Regional Centre for Biomedical Research (CRIB), Biochemistry Section, Faculty of Science and Chemical Technologies, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Christian","family":"Gort\u00e1zar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"SaBio, Instituto de Investigaci\u00f3n en Recursos Cineg\u00e9ticos IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo s\/n, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7383-9649","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jos\u00e9","family":"de la Fuente","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"SaBio, Instituto de Investigaci\u00f3n en Recursos Cineg\u00e9ticos IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo s\/n, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain"},{"name":"Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Christine","family":"Orengo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, UCL, Darwin Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,4,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"62","DOI":"10.1016\/j.vetpar.2007.05.011","article-title":"Ectoparasites: Future Challenges in a Changing World","volume":"148","author":"Wall","year":"2007","journal-title":"Vet. 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