Commercialisation of a recombinant vaccine against Boophilus microplus.
Increasingly, there is need for methods to control cattle tick (Boophilus microplus) infestations by the use of non-chemical technology. This need is brought about by a mixture of market forces and the failure or inadequacy of existing technology. A recombinant vaccine has now been developed against the tick. This vaccine relies on the uptake with the blood meal of antibody directed against a critical protein in the tick gut. The isolation of the vaccine antigen, Bm86, and its production as a recombinant protein is briefly described. The vaccine has been tested in the field, has been taken through the full registration process and is now in commercial use in Australia. A related development has occurred in Cuba. The potential for improvement of the current vaccine and for the development of similar vaccines against other haematophagous parasites is discussed.
Willadsen
P
P
CSIRO Division of Tropical Animal Production, Indooroopilly, Queensland, Australia.
Bird
P
P
Cobon
G S
GS
Hungerford
J
J
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases; D004337:Drug Carriers; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D013984:Tick Infestations / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000662:veterinary*; D013987:Ticks / Q000276:immunology*; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000008:administration & dosage
D000906:Antibodies; D004337:Drug Carriers; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic