Vaccine approaches applied to controlling dog ticks

• Published in: Ticks and tick-borne diseases Vol. 12; no. 3; p. 101631
• Main Authors: Ribeiro, Helen Silva, Pereira, Diogo Fonseca Soares, Melo-Junior, Otoni, Mariano, Reysla Maria da Silveira, Leite, Jaqueline Costa, Silva, Augusto Ventura da, Oliveira, Diana Souza de, Gonçalves, Ana Alice Maia, Lair, Daniel Ferreira, Soares, Ingrid dos Santos, Santos, Thaiza Aline Pereira, Galdino, Alexsandro Sobreira, Silveira-Lemos, Denise da, Paes, Paulo Ricardo de Oliveira, Melo, Marília Martins, Dutra, Walderez Ornelas, Araujo, Ricardo Nascimento, Giunchetti, Rodolfo Cordeiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier GmbH 01-05-2021
• Subjects: Dog; Resistance; Tick; Tick-borne diseases; Vaccine; Resistance; Tick; Vaccine; Dog; Tick-borne diseases
• ISSN: 1877-959X; 1877-9603
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2020.101631

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•Vaccines affect different stages of the tick’s life cycle.•Bioactivity from new targets such as proteins and antigens remain unsolved.•Proteins and peptides are potential candidates for anti-tick vaccines.•Control programs for tick-borne disease require integration with anti-tick vaccines.•The number of antigens with protection potential against tick infestation is growing.
Ticks are considered the most important vectors in veterinary medicine with a profound impact on animal health worldwide, as well as being key vectors of diseases affecting household pets. The leading strategy applied to dog tick control is the continued use of acaricides. However, this approach is not sustainable due to surging tick resistance, growing public concern over pesticide residues in food and in the environment, and the rising costs associated with their development. In contrast, tick vaccines are a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative against tick-borne diseases by controlling vector infestations and reducing pathogen transmission. These premises have encouraged researchers to develop an effective vaccine against ticks, with several proteins having been characterized and used in native, synthetic, and recombinant forms as antigens in immunizations. The growing interaction between domestic pets and people underscores the importance of developing new tick control measures that require effective screening platforms applied to vaccine development. However, as reviewed in this paper, very little progress has been made in controlling ectoparasite infestations in pets using the vaccine approach. The control of tick infestations and pathogen transmission could be obtained through immunization programs aimed at reducing the tick population and interfering in the pathogenic transmission that affects human and animal health on a global scale.