A Preliminary Evaluation of Tick Cement-cone Protein Extract for a Vaccine Against Infestation

Background: Vaccines have been widely exploited to prevent tick-borne infections in cattle. Most vaccines have faced failure in the field because of inconsistency in an immune response. It is presumed that the cement-cone proteins of ticks that participate in the acquisition of blood meal for ticks possess strong immune-stimulating properties and, hence, could be a useful candidate in vaccine development.

Aims: We evaluated cement-cone proteins of tick as a vaccine candidate against infestations of and in cattle.

Methods: The cement-cone proteins were extracted from to develop stage-reactive and immunogenic cross-reactive vaccine against the infestation of two species of ticks and . The immune response of the vaccine was tested against cement-cone proteins starved, partially fed, and richly fed ticks.

Results: The findings of the present study demonstrated the cross-reactivity among the two species of ticks that belonged to the same genus (). The antigenic similarity between the two ticks species suggests that a common antigen may possibly be suitable for a vaccine against the two different species of ticks. The results have also indicated that the 23 kDa cement-cone protein of and may be responsible for the induction, or elicitation of immunogenic, common stage reactive, and cross-reactive host immune responses with consistent intensity throughout the life stages of ticks.

Conclusion: The vaccine based upon cement-cone proteins of ticks may be a useful deterrent against tick-borne infections in cattle in countries like Pakistan.