Fluorescence microscopy showing the fluorescence of EGFP-expressing <i>E. coli</i> (E-<i>E. coli</i>) in granulocytes (A) and colony number of E-<i>E. coli</i> propagated in unfed (UF), partially fed (PF), or <i>HlSRB</i> dsRNA-injected ticks (RNAi-ticks) (B).

<p>UF, PF, and RNAi-ticks were injected with E-<i>E. coli</i>. Twenty-four hours after the injection, hemolymph was collected from these ticks by amputation of legs. One drop of hemolymph placed on a glass slide was examined under fluorescence microscopy (A). Arrowheads indicate E-<i>E. coli</i> and arrows indicate the lobopodia-like extensions of granulocytes of UF (a), PF (b), and RNAi-ticks (c). Areas marked by squares are shown at higher magnification (d and e). The <i>scale bar</i> represents 1 µm. Colony numbers of E-<i>E. coli</i> propagated in UF, PF, and RNAi-ticks 24 hours after E-<i>E. coli</i> injection (B). Hemolymph of these tick groups was applied on an LB agar medium, and the number of emerged colonies of <i>E. coli</i> after overnight culture was counted. This experiment was done in triplicate, and similar results were obtained in 3 different experiments.