title: Field studies and cost-effectiveness analysis of vaccination with Gavac against the cattle tick Boophilus microplus.
abstract: The control of tick infestations and the transmission of tick-borne diseases remains a challenge for the cattle industry in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. Traditional control methods have been only partially successful and the parasites continue to result in significant losses for the cattle industry. Recently, vaccines containing the recombinant Boophilus microplus gut antigen Bm86 have been developed. These vaccines have been shown to control tick infestations in the field. However, extensive field studies investigating the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of vaccination have not been reported and are needed to appraise the effect of this new approach for tick control. Here is reported the results of the application of Gavac in a field trial including more than 260,000 animals in Cuba. In this study the correlation between the antibody response to vaccination and the effect on ticks fertility is determined. Physiological status of the animals was found to affect the primary response to vaccination but not the antibody titers after revaccination. A cost-effectiveness analysis showed a 60% reduction in the number acaricide treatments, together with the control of tick infestations and transmission of babesiosis, which resulted in savings of $23.4 animal-1 year-1. These results clearly demonstrate the advantage of vaccination and support the application of Gavac for tick control.
authors.affiliation: Division of Mammalian Cell Genetics, Centro de Ingeniería Genética y Biotecnología, Havana, Cuba.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: de la Fuente
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Redondo
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Montero
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: García-García
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Méndez
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Serrano
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Valdés
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Enriquez
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Canales
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Boué
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lleonart
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: de Armas
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rey
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Artiles
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: García
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000191:economics* / Q000517:prevention & control; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003462:Cuba; D005260:Female; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000276:immunology*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D013984:Tick Infestations / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*; D013987:Ticks / Q000276:immunology*; D014612:Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics* / Q000276:immunology*; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: C085065:BM86 protein, Boophilus; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014612:Vaccines; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic