Up to 170 tick-borne viruses (TBVs) have been identified to date. However, there is a paucity of information regarding TBVs and their interaction with respective vectors, limiting the development of new effective and urgently needed control methods. To overcome this gap of knowledge, it is essential to reproduce transmission cycles under controlled laboratory conditions. In this study we assessed an artificial feeding system (AFS) and an immersion technique (IT) to infect Ixodes ricinus ticks with tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) and Kemerovo (KEM) virus, both known to be transmitted predominantly by ixodid ticks. Both methods permitted TBEV acquisition by ticks and we further confirmed virus trans-stadial transmission and onward transmission to a vertebrate host. However, only artificial feeding system allowed to demonstrate both acquisition by ticks and trans-stadial transmission for KEMV. Yet we did not observe transmission of KEMV to mice (IFNAR-/- or BALB/c). Artificial infection methods of ticks are important tools to study tick-virus interactions. When optimally used under laboratory settings, they provide important insights into tick-borne virus transmission cycles.

Anses INRAE Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort UMR BIPAR Laboratoire de Santé Animale 94700 Maisons Alfort France

Emerging Viral Diseases Research Group Veterinary Research Institute Hudcova 296 70 621 00 Brno Czech Republic

Faculty of Agriculture and Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia Branisovska 31 370 05 Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic

Functional Genetics of Infectious Diseases Unit Institut Pasteur CNRS UMR 2000 Université de Paris 75015 Paris France

INRAE Anses Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort UMR VIROLOGIE Laboratoire de Santé Animale 94700 Maisons Alfort France

Institute of Parasitology Biology Centre Czech Academy of Sciences Branisovska 31 370 05 Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic

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