Vaccination of dogs with a recombinant cysteine protease from the intestine of canine hookworms diminishes the fecundity and growth of worms.
We expressed a catalytically active cysteine protease, Ac-CP-2, from the blood-feeding stage of the canine hookworm Ancylostoma caninum and vaccinated dogs with the purified protease. Dogs acquired high-titer, antigen-specific antibody responses, and adult hookworms recovered from the intestines of vaccinated dogs were significantly smaller than hookworms from control dogs. There was also a marked decrease in fecal egg counts and the number of female hookworms in vaccinated dogs. Ac-CP-2 is expressed by the parasite in the brush-border membrane of its alimentary canal, and anti-Ac-CP-2 antibodies were bound to the gut of hookworms from vaccinated dogs, which suggests that these antibodies were ingested by the parasites with their blood meal. IgG from vaccinated dogs decreased proteolytic activity against a peptide substrate by 73%, which implies that neutralizing antibodies were induced by vaccination. These results indicate that cysteine proteases involved in parasite nutrition are promising candidates as vaccines against hookworm disease.
Loukas
Alex
A
Department of Microbiology and Tropical Medicine, George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA. alexL@qimr.edu.au
Bethony
Jeffrey M
JM
Williamson
Angela L
AL
Goud
Gaddam N
GN
Mendez
Susana
S
Zhan
Bin
B
Hawdon
John M
JM
Elena Bottazzi
Maria
M
Brindley
Paul J
PJ
Hotez
Peter J
PJ
D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000494:pharmacology; D000722:Ancylostoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D000724:Ancylostomiasis / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*; D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000276:immunology*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D004285:Dogs; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D007422:Intestines; D008297:Male; D010270:Parasite Egg Count / Q000662:veterinary; D010843:Pichia / Q000235:genetics; D016052:Protozoan Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D012744:Sex Ratio; D014611:Vaccination; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000276:immunology
D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D016052:Protozoan Vaccines; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases