{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,1]],"date-time":"2026-05-01T20:43:53Z","timestamp":1777668233171,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,28]],"date-time":"2026-04-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1777334400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Viruses"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The detailed mechanism and sequence by which tick-borne flaviviruses (TBFVs), such as Langat virus (LGTV), infect and disseminate in arthropod hosts remain undefined. To begin characterizing these processes, we used artificial membrane feeding chambers to feed adult Ixodes scapularis ticks with blood containing LGTV. At 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours (h) after attachment, we removed and dissected the partially fed ticks to obtain the midgut and salivary glands. Histology confirmed infection in cells of the digestive epithelium lineage; infection was noted in midgut generative cells and the more differentiated functional digestive cells over the course of feeding. The viral envelope (E) protein, nonstructural protein 3 (NS3), and double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) were readily detected in these cells by 48 h after infection. Parallel analysis indicated that cells in salivary gland acini were also infected by 48 h, where virus target cells appeared to be the granular cells in acini types II and III. Thus, both salivary glands and midgut showed direct evidence of infection by 48 h. Although viral staining was not observed at 24 h, when organs were removed at 24 h and individually cultured ex vivo, the virus was detected. Taken together, our results provide evidence of LGTV infection in both the salivary glands and midgut within the first 24 h of a blood meal. The findings should prompt a reevaluation of the systemic dissemination of TBFV in infected ticks.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/v18050505","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,29]],"date-time":"2026-04-29T07:43:51Z","timestamp":1777448631000},"page":"505","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Langat Virus Infection Can Be Demonstrated in Both Tick Salivary Glands and Midgut Within 24 Hours of Blood Feeding"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"given":"Missiani","family":"Ochwoto","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Biology of Vector Borne Viruses Section, Laboratory of Virology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Danielle K.","family":"Offerdahl","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biology of Vector Borne Viruses Section, Laboratory of Virology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Edwin O.","family":"Ogola","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biology of Vector Borne Viruses Section, Laboratory of Virology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4210-7044","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Barbara C.","family":"Weck","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biology of Vector Borne Viruses Section, Laboratory of Virology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Dan","family":"Long","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Rocky Mountain Veterinary Branch, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0803-6177","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Greg A.","family":"Saturday","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Rocky Mountain Veterinary Branch, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7003-2313","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marshall E.","family":"Bloom","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biology of Vector Borne Viruses Section, Laboratory of Virology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"102025","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ttbdis.2022.102025","article-title":"Tick species infesting humans in the United States","volume":"13","author":"Eisen","year":"2022","journal-title":"Ticks Tick-Borne Dis."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"102388","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ttbdis.2024.102388","article-title":"Publicly available surveillance data on tick-borne encephalitis in Europe, 2023","volume":"15","author":"Angulo","year":"2024","journal-title":"Ticks Tick-Borne Dis."},{"key":"ref_3","unstructured":"European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (2019). 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