Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases最新文献

{"title":"Natural Panola Mountain Ehrlichia infections in cattle in a longitudinal study of Angus beef calves","authors":"Cierra Briggs ,&nbsp;Drew Casey ,&nbsp;Anna Grace Deakins ,&nbsp;Jeremy G. Powell ,&nbsp;Kelly Loftin ,&nbsp;Emily G. McDermott","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102408","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102408","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Panola Mountain <em>Ehrlichia</em> (PME) is an emerging zoonotic pathogen, transmitted by <em>Amblyomma americanum</em> ticks in the southeastern United States. It is closely related to <em>Ehrlichia ruminantium</em>, the causative agent of heartwater disease. Heartwater disease is an often-fatal illness of ruminant livestock present in Africa and the Caribbean. The taxonomic relationship between PME and <em>E. ruminantium</em> has raised concerns about the pathogenicity of PME in livestock. To determine whether cattle could be naturally infected with PME in an endemic area, we conducted a one-year longitudinal study of Angus-breed beef calves in Fayetteville, Arkansas. One hundred seventy-seven calves born between September and October 2022 were sampled for blood and ticks in February, May, and September 2023. Blood and ticks from each animal were tested for bacteria in the family, <em>Anaplasmataceae</em> using quantitative and conventional PCR, and positive samples were sequenced for species identification. Panola Mountain <em>Ehrlichia</em> was detected in 2.34 % of male <em>A. americanum</em> collected in February, and 1.27 % of female, 0.95 % of male, and 0.43 % of nymphal <em>A. americanum</em> collected in May. No PME-positive ticks were collected in September. Active PME infections were detected in two calves: one which tested positive in May 2023 and one which tested positive in September 2023. Neither animal exhibited any signs of disease, and the animal PME-positive in May tested negative in September. Cattle are susceptible to PME, but the pathogen does not appear to cause obvious disease. However, all animals in this study were under one year old, and older animals may be more susceptible. Cattle are at risk of tick-borne illness in the winter as well as spring, and off-season acaricide applications may improve disease management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"15 6","pages":"Article 102408"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142607034","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ixodes ricinus ticks survive flooding","authors":"Johanna Rapp,&nbsp;Andrea Springer,&nbsp;Christina Strube","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102417","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102417","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Climate-change induced weather extremes like floods are increasing in frequency and intensity, with potential consequences for disease vector ecology. We report on a flooding event during the winter of 2023/2024 in Hanover city, Germany. Our observations demonstrate that <em>I. ricinus</em>, the most important vector of tick-borne diseases in Europe, can survive prolonged periods under water and quickly resume host-seeking activity once conditions normalize. Despite being submerged for a total of 25 days, nymphal and adult ticks were observed questing four weeks of the water receding, with densities comparable to pre-flood levels. These findings underscore the resilience of <em>I. ricinus</em> and highlight the potential of ticks to pose infection risks even after extreme weather events.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"15 6","pages":"Article 102417"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142697216","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The distribution of Babesia odocoilei in Ixodes species ticks in Canada: Implications for one health surveillance","authors":"Camille Guillot ,&nbsp;Jérôme Pelletier ,&nbsp;Cécile Aenishaenslin ,&nbsp;Heather Coatsworth ,&nbsp;Antonia Dibernardo ,&nbsp;Jules K. Koffi ,&nbsp;Manisha A. Kulkarni ,&nbsp;Jean-Philippe Rocheleau ,&nbsp;Christy Wilson ,&nbsp;Curtis Russell ,&nbsp;Mark P. Nelder ,&nbsp;Jacqueline Badcock ,&nbsp;Justin Carr ,&nbsp;Sylvia Checkley ,&nbsp;Katie M. Clow ,&nbsp;Stephanie Cooper ,&nbsp;Susan Cork ,&nbsp;Ariane Dumas ,&nbsp;Shaun Dergousoff ,&nbsp;Nicoletta Faraone ,&nbsp;Catherine Bouchard","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102413","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102413","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Ixodes scapularis</em> and <em>Ixodes pacificus</em> are vectors of a range of pathogens of public health significance in North America. These ticks transmit pathogens to and from wild animal reservoir host species, but also bite humans and expose them to the pathogens. We describe the geographical and temporal distribution of the pathogen <em>Babesia odocoilei</em>, the causative agent of cervid babesiosis. <em>Ixodes</em> spp. ticks collected through active and passive surveillance were submitted to the National Microbiology Laboratory of the Public Health Agency of Canada for analysis of the presence of <em>B. odocoilei</em> from 2018 to 2021<em>.</em> Generalized linear models were constructed to evaluate the temporal change of <em>B. odocoilei</em> prevalence across Canada. <em>Babesia odocoilei</em>-positive <em>I. scapularis</em> are widespread across south-central and eastern regions of Canada, with an overall prevalence of 12.0 % in both nymphs (CI 95 % : 11.4–12.6) and adults (CI 95 % : 11.9–12.1) collected in passive surveillance and 13.2 % (CI 95 % : 12.9–13.5) and 10.0 % (CI 95 % : 9.8–10.2) in nymphs and adult, respectively, collected in active surveillance. A single <em>I. pacificus</em> tick tested positive in active surveillance out of 29 ticks collected in British Columbia, while no <em>B odocoilei</em>-positive <em>I. scapularis</em> were found in passive surveillance among the 11 adult ticks tested. Although <em>B. odocoilei</em> infection prevalence of adult <em>I. scapularis</em> was significantly higher in 2019 (14.1 %) than in 2018 (7.4 %), it remained stable from 2019 to 2021, suggesting that this pathogen may already be well established in endemic tick populations. The results provided in this article represent, to date, the most comprehensive picture of <em>B. odocoilei</em> distribution and prevalence in ticks in Canada and highlight the interest of maintaining One Health surveillance approaches to give added insight into disease transmission cycles for less well-characterized microorganisms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"15 6","pages":"Article 102413"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142689337","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Clinical manifestations and outcomes of Tick-borne encephalitis: A systematic literature review","authors":"Kate Halsby ,&nbsp;Liesl Gildea ,&nbsp;Harish Madhava ,&nbsp;Frederick J. Angulo ,&nbsp;Andreas Pilz ,&nbsp;Wilhelm Erber ,&nbsp;Jennifer Moisi ,&nbsp;Katharina Schley ,&nbsp;Ann Colosia ,&nbsp;Johann Sellner","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102407","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102407","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is caused by a viral infection and can lead to acute and persistent damage to the central and peripheral nervous systems. Recently, the incidence of TBE in Europe has risen, and epidemiological patterns of disease have changed, emphasising the need for improved understanding of this vaccine-preventable disease. Although TBE is endemic in many countries, the disease spectrum of TBE is not well described. We sought to characterise the clinical manifestations and outcomes of TBE by estimating the proportions of TBE patients with each type of manifestation and the risk of adverse outcomes for children and adults separately. A systematic literature review was conducted on 2 August 2022 for articles published in any language since 1 January 2007. Additional relevant studies were found in reference lists of identified articles. The review was limited to countries where only the European subtype of TBEV circulates. Of the 1,632 unique titles and abstracts identified and reviewed, 21 were retained for data analysis. The 21 studies were split into a main analysis (15 studies reporting patients hospitalised with laboratory-confirmed TBE) and a secondary analysis (6 studies reporting hospitalised and non-hospitalised patients who sought medical treatment for laboratory-confirmed TBE). The main analysis included 5,012 adults and 640 children. The predominant clinical manifestation in adults was encephalitis (61 %), followed by meningitis (33 %), radiculitis (14 %), and myelitis (6 %) (the manifestations were evaluated independently, so they will not sum to 100 %). With outliers removed, similar proportions of adults had encephalitis (48 %) and meningitis (44 %). Among cases in children, meningitis (77 %) was the most common manifestation, whereas encephalitis (23 %) and myelitis (1.3 %) were less frequent. Among hospitalised patients with TBE, the proportion of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and deaths were similar for adults (15.5 % and 0.9 %, respectively) and children (16.4 % and 0 %, respectively.) The percentage of patients with sequelae when examined &gt;12 months from acute TBE was 39.5 % for adults and 16.2 % for children. The evidence was challenging to aggregate due to study heterogeneity, variability in categorising clinical manifestations of central nervous system disease, variability of denominator populations, and differences in healthcare systems and diagnostic practices across countries. Our study disclosed distinct patterns of clinical manifestation among hospitalised adult and child patients with TBE and a high proportion of ICU admissions and long-term neurological sequelae across both age groups. These findings reinforce the continued need for preventive measures in the populations at risk. Moreover, variability of study admission criteria, including difficulty with clinical manifestation categorisation, calls for a more standardised approach to summarising TBE manifestations and outcomes acros","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"15 6","pages":"Article 102407"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142578220","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Microbial genetic variation impacts host eco-immunological strategies and microparasite fitness in Lyme borreliae-reptile system","authors":"Tristan A. Nowak ,&nbsp;Carly Fernandes ,&nbsp;Jill Malfetano ,&nbsp;Erica Lasek-Nesselquist ,&nbsp;Matthew Combs ,&nbsp;Klemen Strle ,&nbsp;Russell L. Burke ,&nbsp;Yi-Pin Lin","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102410","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102410","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Tolerance and resistance are two host eco-immunological strategies in response to microparasite invasion. In the strategy of “resistance”, host responses are induced to decrease microparasite replication while the “tolerance” strategy allows hosts coexistence with microparasites by minimizing responses to avoid immune-mediated damage. The causative agent of Lyme disease is a group of genotypically diverse bacterial species, <em>Borrelia burgdorferi</em> sensu lato (<em>Bb</em>), which is transmitted by <em>Ixodes</em> ticks and persists in different reservoir animals. In North America, eastern fence lizards (<em>Sceloporus undulatus</em>) can be fed on by <em>Ixodes</em> ticks but are incompetent to one genotype of <em>Bb</em> (i.e., ospC type A). However, field-collected lizards showed evidence of previous infection by <em>Bb</em> strains with undefined genotypes. Supporting this evidence, we introduced three genotypically different <em>Bb</em> strains individually to eastern fence lizards and found a <em>Bb</em> genotype-dependent manner of infectivity. We compared liver transcriptomics and observed elevated immune responses triggered by a lizard-incompetent <em>Bb</em> strain (strain B31). We showed two lizard-competent strains with one having no immunomodulation (strain B379) but the other developing upregulated immune responses (strain 297). These results suggest that genetic variation in microparasites both induces different host strategies for dealing with infection and determines microparasite fitness in the hosts. These findings demonstrate that <em>Bb</em> and eastern fence lizards can serve as a model to investigate the mechanisms underlying eco-immunological strategies of tolerance vs. resistance during host-microparasite interaction.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"15 6","pages":"Article 102410"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142631344","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Detection of Anaplasma bovis-like agent in the Southcentral United States","authors":"Rachel C Smith,&nbsp;Sarah Myers,&nbsp;Kellee D Sundstrom,&nbsp;Ragan Wilson,&nbsp;Ruth C Scimeca,&nbsp;Lindsay A Starkey,&nbsp;Susan E Little","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102411","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102411","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Anaplasma bovis</em> is primarily an infectious agent of ruminants, and has most commonly been reported in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Although the primary cause of human anaplasmosis is <em>Anaplasma phagocytophilum</em>, humans may rarely be infected by other <em>Anaplasma</em> spp. Human disease attributed to <em>A. bovis</em> has been occasionally reported, including an <em>A. bovis</em>-like agent in the United States. DNA of an <em>A. bovis</em>-like agent has been amplified from humans and the tick <em>Dermacentor variabilis</em> in the central region of the U.S., but larger prevalence studies among potential vectors or reservoir hosts in the U.S. have not been reported. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of <em>A. bovis</em>-like agent among <em>D. variabilis</em> and cattle in the Southcentral U.S. Previously extracted DNA from adult <em>D. variabilis</em> collected from Oklahoma (<em>n</em> = 38) and Kansas (<em>n</em> = 93), and blood of cattle from Oklahoma (<em>n</em> = 140) were tested by conventional PCR. Overall prevalence of <em>A. bovis</em>-like DNA within ticks was determined to be 3.1% (4/131), and all positive ticks originated from Oklahoma. Overall prevalence in bovine blood was determined to be 0% (0/140). These findings confirm the presence of an <em>A. bovis</em>-like agent, a potentially zoonotic pathogen, among ticks in the Southcentral U.S.; this agent is likely underrecognized and has been detected in parts of the U.S. that lie outside of the established geographic range for <em>A. phagocytophilum</em>. Further investigation and surveillance are necessary to elucidate possible reservoirs of <em>A. bovis</em> in the U.S., further evaluate the burden of human infection, and fully characterize genetic differences between the <em>A. bovis</em>-like agent detected in the U.S. and <em>A. bovis</em> in other regions of the world.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"15 6","pages":"Article 102411"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142649469","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Corrigendum to \"A transwell assay method to evaluate Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto migratory chemoattraction toward tick saliva proteins\" [Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2021 Sep; 12(5): 101782. PMCID: PMC10895706].","authors":"Taylor J Van Gundy, Amy J Ullmann, Kevin S Brandt, Robert D Gilmore","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102378","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102378","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":" ","pages":"102378"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141591849","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Absence of Coxiella burnetii in kangaroo ticks (Amblyomma triguttatum) from a high seroprevalence population of eastern grey kangaroos","authors":"Anita Tolpinrud ,&nbsp;Ornella Romeo ,&nbsp;Anne-Lise Chaber","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102406","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102406","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Q fever, caused by <em>Coxiella burnetii</em>, is an important zoonotic and public health concern worldwide. Kangaroos are thought to be a likely wildlife reservoir for <em>C. burnetii</em> in Australia and the kangaroo tick (<em>Amblyomma triguttatum</em>) has often been considered a vector. In this descriptive study of ticks collected from a population of eastern grey kangaroos (<em>Macropus giganteus</em>) with a high serological (84 %) and molecular (65 %) prevalence of <em>C. burnetii</em> in northern New South Wales, a total of 72 <em>A. triguttatum</em> ticks were tested by PCRs targeting the IS<em>1111, htpAB</em>, and <em>com1</em> genes of the <em>Coxiella</em> genome. Despite the remarkably high prevalence of coxiellosis in the host population, none of the ticks were positive for <em>Coxiella.</em> This finding suggests that the kangaroo tick may not play a significant role in the transmission dynamics of <em>C. burnetii</em> in this particular host population.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"15 6","pages":"Article 102406"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2024-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142511465","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prevalence and diversity of spotted fever group Rickettsia species in ixodid ticks from domestic dogs in Chad, Africa","authors":"Stephanie Osip ,&nbsp;Morgan Friedman ,&nbsp;Ellen Haynes ,&nbsp;Sarah M. Coker ,&nbsp;John A. Bryan II ,&nbsp;Metinou Sidouin ,&nbsp;Philip Tchindebet Ouakou ,&nbsp;Bongo Nare Richard Ngandolo ,&nbsp;Christopher A. Cleveland ,&nbsp;Michael J. Yabsley","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102405","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102405","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Tick-borne pathogens in the genus <em>Rickettsia</em> are the causative agents of severe and potentially fatal spotted fever group (SFG) and typhus group diseases in dogs and humans. Climate, habitat, and land-use changes are impacting vector ranges, with expansions potentially resulting in novel pathogens being introduced into naïve locations. Despite the public health importance of SFG <em>Rickettsia</em>, there are relatively few data on the prevalence and diversity of rickettsial pathogens in sub-Saharan Africa. The aim of this study was to characterize the SFG <em>Rickettsia</em> prevalence and diversity in ixodid ticks (104 <em>Amblyomma</em> spp.<em>,</em> 160 <em>Rhipicephalus</em> spp<em>.,</em> and one <em>Hyalomma truncatum</em>) collected from domestic dogs in Chad, Africa. Ticks were screened for <em>Rickettsia</em> spp. using a nested PCR targeting the 17-kDa gene. Species identification was through bidirectional Sanger sequencing of the 17-kDa, <em>ompA, ompB</em>, and/or <em>gltA</em> gene targets. A total of 43.3 % (115/265) ticks were positive for <em>Rickettsia</em> spp. and six <em>Rickettsia</em> species were identified: <em>R. africae, R. massiliae, R. conorii, R. felis, R. monacensis</em> and <em>Candidatus</em> Rickettsia muridii. Seven additional samples were positive for <em>Rickettsia</em> of undetermined species. <em>Rickettsia africae</em>, an important zoonotic pathogen, was found in 81 % (79/97) of <em>A. variegatum</em> and 29 % (2/7) of an <em>A. marmoreum</em> complex species, a group that infests a wide range of birds and mammals, including humans. Finally, we detected a high diversity of <em>Rickettsia</em> spp., most of which were zoonotic, in <em>Rh. muhsamae</em>. Collectively these data indicate there is a risk of rickettsiosis in Chad and further studies on ticks and rickettsial pathogens in this region are warranted.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"15 6","pages":"Article 102405"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2024-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142478909","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A reverse vaccinology approach identified novel recombinant tick proteins with protective efficacy against Rhipicephalus microplus infestation","authors":"Luísa N. Domingues ,&nbsp;Kylie G. Bendele ,&nbsp;Deanna M. Bodine ,&nbsp;Lénaïg Halos ,&nbsp;Andre A. Cutolo ,&nbsp;Martin Liebstein ,&nbsp;Justin Widener ,&nbsp;Monica Figueiredo ,&nbsp;Yovany Moreno ,&nbsp;Christian Epe ,&nbsp;Alvimar Jose da Costa ,&nbsp;Lucas Vinícius Costa Gomes ,&nbsp;Felix D. Guerrero","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102403","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2024.102403","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The cattle tick, <em>Rhipicephalus microplus</em>, causes significant economic losses to the cattle industry. Tick control is predominately achieved via pesticide applications. However, alternative control methods such as vaccines are needed due to the tick's capacity to quickly develop pesticide resistance and to combat tick-borne diseases. We used an <em>in silico</em> reverse vaccinology approach to evaluate and rank open reading frames (ORFs) from the tick's transcriptome for their potential use as anti-<em>R. microplus</em> vaccine antigens. We manually annotated the 200 highest ranked antigens and selected 10 transcript ORFs as vaccine antigen candidates for expression in <em>Pichia pastoris</em> or insect cells. Six of the ten candidate antigens could be successfully expressed and purified <em>in vitro</em> as recombinant proteins with &gt; 1 mg quantity. RT-PCR confirmed the expression of all six transcripts in tick RNA. However, only three of the six transcripts' corresponding ORFs could be confirmed as present in tick tissue protein extracts. Only four of the six vaccine candidate antigens were successfully expressed and purified in sufficient quantity (&gt; 10 mg) for immunogenicity and efficacy trials in cattle. These four were designated BI-TS002, BI-TS004, BI-TS008, and BI-TS009 and sufficient annotation existed that showed sequence similarity to serine‑rich adhesin for platelets, glycine-rich cell wall structural membrane protein, SWM-1 tick serine protease inhibitor, and venom-like dermonecrotic toxins from ticks and spiders, respectively. Cattle immunized with BI-TS004, BI-TS008 and BI-TS009 yielded a statistically significant difference in antibody response post-immunization. This difference was noted on Days 42, 56, 70, and 84 post-immunization for BI-TS008 and BI-TS009, but only on Day 56 for BI-TS004. BI-TS008 and BI-TS009, were formulated with adjuvant and cattle stall tests conducted over a 175 day period to evaluate efficacy against <em>R. microplus</em> infestations. Both an adjuvant only negative control group and a positive control group using the commercially available GAVAC anti-tick vaccine were used. Efficacy was determined by comparing number of engorged adult female ticks, total egg mass weight, and egg hatchability produced from the immunized group to corresponding data from the adjuvant only negative control group. Thus, effects on engorged adult tick number, reproductive capacity, and fertility were measured. Both initial (designated Phase 1 and calculated from tick collections of Days 60–94 days post-first immunization) and long-term (designated Phase 2 and calculated from tick collections of Days 152–175 post-first immunization) efficacies were determined. The overall Phase 1 trial efficacies of BI-TS008, BI-TS009, and GAVAC were 68.3 %, 48.5 %, and 70.7 %, respectively. The overall Phase 2 trial efficacies of BI-TS008, BI-TS009, and GAVAC were 64.4 %, -30.1 %, and 45.1 %, respectively.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"15 6","pages":"Article 102403"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2024-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142478908","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}