Vaccination against the Old World screwworm fly (Chrysomya bezziana)

Chrysomya bezziana is an endemic pest of livestock or a threat to livestock production in large areas of Africa, the Middle East, southern and south-east Asia and Australia. Its control is difficult. The feasibility of vaccinating against this pest has now been explored. In-vitro and in-vivo assays have been established. Using these assays, it has been shown that first instar larvae, third instar peritrophic membrane and cardia are all sources of material able to induce immunological reactions in sheep which lead to significant reductions in larval growth. In-vitro assays following vaccination with peritrophic membrane also show larval mortality. Taken together, these effects lead to an 82% reduction in the weight of recovered larvae in vitro and 45% reduction in vivo. Preliminary evidence suggests that the mechanism of protection may be complex.