Tick Vaccines and Concealed versus Exposed Antigens

Abstract

Anti-tick vaccines development mainly depends on the identification of suitable antigens, which ideally should have different features. These should be key molecules in tick biology, encoded by a single gene, expressed across life stages and tick tissues, capable of inducing B and T cells to promote an immunological response without allergenic, hemolytic, and toxic effects; and should not be homologous to the mammalian host. The discussion regarding this subject and the usefulness of “exposed” and “concealed” antigens was effectively explored in the publication by Nuttall et al. (2006). The present commentary intends to debate the relevance of such study in the field of tick immunological control.

Function-Guided Selection of Salivary Antigens from Ornithodoros Erraticus Argasid Ticks and Assessment of Their Protective Efficacy in Rabbits

“…The salivary proteins inoculated into the host via tick saliva have important biological functions for tick feeding and pathogen transmission, thereby being considered promising targets for anti-tick and transmission-blocking vaccines (Nuttall et al, 2019;Neelakanta and Sultana, 2022). A number of salivary proteins have been tested as vaccine targets to date, several of which have provided different degrees of protection against tick infestations (Díaz-Martín et al, 2015;Abbas et al, 2023;Antunes and Domingos, 2023). This partial success has encouraged the search for and validation of new and more protective tick salivary antigens.…”

More than Three Decades of Bm86: What We Know and Where to Go

“…To alleviate the selective pressures placed on tick populations by chemical control, multiple approaches are needed within a sustainable integrated pest management program that can include: biological control (e.g., plant extracts [7], predators, parasitoids [8], and pathogens of ticks [9], genetic control (e.g., raising tick-resistant cattle breeds and sterile insect techniques) [10][11][12], and immunological control (e.g., tick vaccines) [13][14][15]. Immunological control of ticks and tick-borne diseases has a long history of research (see a special issue on classic papers in tick and tick-borne disease research at https://www.mdpi.com/journal/pathogens/special_issues/10thAnniversary_Tick; accessed 20 June 2023).…”

Universal Tick Vaccines: Candidates and Remaining Challenges

“…This is because hosts infested by two or more tick species in one area could be protected using a single vaccine [ 26 ]. This advantage encouraged many research groups worldwide to analyze tick proteins that were originally used as antigens for homologous vaccination [ 27 ] in trials against several tick species. Previously, several tick proteins were suggested as candidates for a universal vaccine [ 28 , 29 ].…”