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Vaccination with 'concealed' antigens: myth or reality?
1CSIRO Division of Tropical Animal Production, Indooroopilly, Queensland, Australia.
Parasite Immunology
|November 1, 1991
Summary
Cattle develop antibodies to tick glycoproteins, including Bm86, due to non-specific reactions with carbohydrate parts. These carbohydrate-directed antibodies do not protect cattle from tick Boophilus microplus infestations.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary immunology
- Parasitology
- Molecular biology
Background:
- Cattle infested with ticks, such as Boophilus microplus, produce antibodies to tick antigens.
- Some tick antigens, like intrinsic membrane glycoproteins and Bm86, are expected to be concealed from the host immune system.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanisms behind antibody production in cattle against concealed tick antigens.
- To determine the role of carbohydrate determinants in antibody cross-reactivity and protection.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of antibody reactions in cattle exposed to Boophilus microplus.
- Immunological assays to assess cross-reactivity of carbohydrate determinants on tick glycoproteins.
- Comparison of antibody responses to glycosylated and non-glycosylated Bm86 antigen.
Main Results:
- Bovine antibodies react with carbohydrate determinants on tick glycoproteins, leading to cross-reactivity.
- Antibody response to Bm86 is primarily against its glycosylated form.
- Antibodies targeting carbohydrate determinants of Bm86 do not confer protection against tick infestation.
Conclusions:
- The reaction of cattle antibodies with concealed tick antigens is largely due to non-specific interactions with shared carbohydrate structures.
- Relying solely on antibody responses to glycoproteins for assessing protection against ticks may be misleading.
- Further research is needed to understand protective immune responses against tick infestations.