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Vaccines
Special Issues
Vaccines against Arthropods and Arthropod-Borne Pathogens
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Vaccines against Arthropods and Arthropod-Borne Pathogens

A special issue of Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X). This special issue belongs to the section "Vaccines against (re)emerging and Tropical Infections Diseases".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2024) | Viewed by 3910

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Raúl Manzano-Román

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Infectious and Tropical Diseases Group (e-INTRO), Institute of Biomedical Research of Salamanca-Research Center for Tropical Diseases at the University of Salamanca (IBSAL-CIETUS), Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Salamanca, 37008 Salamanca, Spain
Interests: anti-arthropod vaccines; transmission blocking vaccines; vector-host interactions; “omics” technologies; nanotechnologies; host immune responses; tick salivary and hidden components
Dr. Consuelo Almazán

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Avenida de las Ciencias S/N, C.P. 76230, Juriquilla, Queretaro, Mexico
Interests: control of animal ectoparasites; anti-tick vaccines; vector-borne pathogens; emerging diseases; one health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Arthropods and arthropod-borne pathogens constantly threaten the health of humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. A geographical expansion of arthropods is occurring due to global warming, deforestation, and increase in reservoir population, animal hosts, and human outdoor activities. It is expected that this expansion will continue increasing, bringing with it an increase in the emergence and prevalence of arthropod-borne diseases. A One Health approach including arthropod correct management and control is urgently needed to prevent future outbreaks. Prevention of arthropods and arthropod-borne diseases through novel vaccination strategies and methods is perhaps the most suitable choice in the post COVID-19 vaccinomics era. 

The aim of this Special Issue is to compile relevant original scientific papers, opinion letters, and reviews on the most recent advances in developing vaccines against arthropods and arthropod-borne pathogen vaccines. Submitted papers may include discovery research, proof of concept, and vaccination trials in controlled and natural conditions. This information will reinforce the potential of immunization as a mean. Furthermore, the published advances would be included as part of One Health intervention approach to manage potential public and animal health threats coming from several unexpected areas.

Dr. Raúl Manzano-Román
Dr. Consuelo Almazán
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Vaccines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • novel vaccine candidates
  • nanovaccines
  • transmission-blocking vaccines
  • anti-microbiota vaccines
  • arthropod–host–pathogen interactions
  • host and vector immunity
  • pathogen-derived antigens
  • vaccination trials
  • arthropod vectors

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 1761 KiB  
Article
Immunization with Anaplasma centrale Msp2 HVRs Is Less Effective than the Live A. centrale Vaccine against Anaplasmosis
by Azeza Falghoush, Pei-Shin Ku and Kelly A. Brayton
Vaccines 2023, 11(10), 1544; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11101544 - 29 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1055
Abstract
Bovine anaplasmosis, caused by Anaplasma marginale, is the most prevalent tick-transmitted pathogen of livestock globally. In many parts of the world, Anaplasma centrale, a related organism, is used as a live blood-borne vaccine as it causes either no or only a [...] Read more.
Bovine anaplasmosis, caused by Anaplasma marginale, is the most prevalent tick-transmitted pathogen of livestock globally. In many parts of the world, Anaplasma centrale, a related organism, is used as a live blood-borne vaccine as it causes either no or only a mild clinical disease. Anaplasma centrale does not prevent infection with A. marginale but does prevent acute disease. Anaplasma centrale is prohibited from being used in the U.S. due to the risk of transmitting emerging pathogens. Both of these organisms encode proteins known as major surface protein 2 (Msp2), which is the most immunodominant protein for the organism. Both organisms persist in their host by evading clearance, i.e., the adaptive immune response, by recombining the hypervariable region (HVR) of msp2 with pseudogene alleles. The study goal was to test whether the Msp2 HVRs encoded by A. centrale are a sufficient source of immune stimulation to provide the clinical protection exhibited by the blood-borne vaccine. Calves were inoculated with recombinantly expressed A. centrale HVRs. Control groups were inoculated with saponin or infected with the A. centrale live vaccine and compared with the test group. A Western blot analysis demonstrated that the HVR immunizations and A. centrale live vaccine stimulated an immune response. All animals in the study became infected upon challenge with A. marginale-infected ticks. The saponin-immunized control group had a high PPE (5.4%) and larger drops in PCVs (14.6%). As expected, the A. centrale-immunized animals were protected from acute disease with lower (0.6%) parasitemia and lower drops in PCV (8.6%). The HVR-immunized group had intermediate results that were not statistically significantly different from either the negative or positive controls. This suggests that the HVR immunogen does not fully recapitulate the protective capacity of the live vaccine. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vaccines against Arthropods and Arthropod-Borne Pathogens)
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14 pages, 4384 KiB  
Article
Testing Efficacy of a Conserved Polypeptide from the Bm86 Protein against Rhipicephalus microplus in the Mexican Tropics
by Raymundo Coate, Miguel Ángel Alonso-Díaz, Moisés Martínez-Velázquez, Edgar Castro-Saines, Rubén Hernández-Ortiz and Rodolfo Lagunes-Quintanilla
Vaccines 2023, 11(7), 1267; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11071267 - 21 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1204
Abstract
Rhipicephalus microplus economically impacts cattle production in tropical and subtropical countries. Application of acaricides constitutes the major control method; however, inadequate use has increased resistant tick populations, resulting in environmental and cattle product contamination. Anti-tick vaccines based on the Bm86 antigen are an [...] Read more.
Rhipicephalus microplus economically impacts cattle production in tropical and subtropical countries. Application of acaricides constitutes the major control method; however, inadequate use has increased resistant tick populations, resulting in environmental and cattle product contamination. Anti-tick vaccines based on the Bm86 antigen are an environmentally friendly, safe, and economically sustainable alternative for controlling R. microplus infestations. Nevertheless, variable efficacy has been experienced against different geographic tick strains. Herein, we evaluated the efficacy of a conserved polypeptide Bm86 derived from a Mexican R. microplus strain previously characterized. Twelve cows were assigned to three experimental groups and immunized with three doses of the polypeptide Bm86 (pBm86), adjuvant/saline alone, and Bm86 antigen (control +), respectively. Specific IgG antibody levels were measured by ELISA and confirmed by Western blot. In addition, the reproductive performance of naturally infested R. microplus was also determined. The more affected parameter was the adult female tick number, with a reduction of 44% by the pBm86 compared to the controls (p < 0.05), showing a vaccine efficacy of 58%. Anti-pBm86 IgG antibodies were immunogenic and capable of recognizing the native Bm86 protein in the eggs, larvae, and guts of R. microplus. The negative correlation between antibody levels and the reduction of naturally tick-infested cattle suggested that the effect of the polypeptide Bm86 was attributed to the antibody response in immunized cattle. In conclusion, the polypeptide Bm86 showed a specific immune response in cattle and conferred protection against R. microplus in a Mexican tropical region. These findings support further experiments with this antigen to demonstrate its effectiveness as a regional vaccine. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vaccines against Arthropods and Arthropod-Borne Pathogens)
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Review

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15 pages, 1302 KiB  
Review
Inclusion of Anti-Tick Vaccines into an Integrated Tick Management Program in Mexico: A Public Policy Challenge
by Rodrigo Rosario-Cruz, Delia Inés Domínguez-García and Consuelo Almazán
Vaccines 2024, 12(4), 403; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12040403 - 10 Apr 2024
Viewed by 663
Abstract
Acaricides are the most widely used method to control the cattle tick Rhipicephalus microplus. However, its use increases production costs, contaminates food and the environment, and directly affects animal and human health. The intensive use of chemical control has resulted in the [...] Read more.
Acaricides are the most widely used method to control the cattle tick Rhipicephalus microplus. However, its use increases production costs, contaminates food and the environment, and directly affects animal and human health. The intensive use of chemical control has resulted in the selection of genes associated with resistance to acaricides, and consumers are increasingly less tolerant of food contamination. This scenario has increased the interest of different research groups around the world for anti-tick vaccine development, in order to reduce the environmental impact, the presence of residues in food, and the harmful effects on animal and human health. There is enough evidence that vaccination with tick antigens induces protection against tick infestations, reducing tick populations and acaricide treatments. Despite the need for an anti-tick vaccine in Mexico, vaccination against ticks has been limited to one vaccine that is used in some regions. The aim of this review is to contribute to the discussion on tick control issues and provide a reference for readers interested in the importance of using anti-tick vaccines encouraging concerted action on the part of Mexican animal health authorities, livestock organizations, cattle producers, and academics. Therefore, it is suggested that an anti-tick vaccine should be included as a part of an integrated tick management program in Mexico. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vaccines against Arthropods and Arthropod-Borne Pathogens)
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