Transstadial transmission

Transstadial transmission is the persistence of a symbiont or pathogen in an organism from one life stage ("stadium") to the next, such as larva to nymph to adult. This type of transmission is typically observed in insects. For example, the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent for Lyme disease, infects the tick vector as a larva, with the infection maintained as the tick molts to a nymph and later develops as an adult. Transstadial transmission is also seen with other microbes such as other bacteria, fungi, and viruses in numerous insects. In addition to ticks, mites are another common vector. Transstadial transmission is especially relevant to public health, as several threats to public health are maintained in insect populations by transstadial transmission. Some debate exists regarding the classification of transstadial transmission as vertical transmission versus horizontal transmission. Reasons for this stem from further debate regarding transovarial transmission, described as the passage of a symbiont or pathogen from an infected female to its progeny, especially in eggs.

Transstadial blockage is the opposite of transstadial transmission in which the symbiont or pathogen cannot be carried over from one life stage to the next. This aspect serves to hinder transmission as the symbiont or pathogen is with the host for a shorter period, allowing for lower chances of transmission.

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