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Updated: May 17, 2025
Use of an Influenza Antigen Microarray to Measure the Breadth of Serum Antibodies Across Virus Subtypes
Published on: July 26, 2019
Comprehensive antigen identification and comparative analysis: significant approaches for controlling Haemaphysalis
Md Samiul Haque1, Bumseok Kim2, Myung-Jo You3
1Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Bio-Safety Research Centre, Jeonbuk National University, Iksan 54596, Korea.
Importance:
Ticks transmit severe human and animal diseases, posing global health and economic risks. Haemaphysalis longicornis spreads infections like Rickettsia, Theileria, and Anaplasma, exacerbating concerns. Conventional tick control, including chemical acaricides, faces challenges like toxicity, non-target effects, and resistance. Innovative, sustainable strategies are essential. Advances in tick antigen research have identified molecular targets, paving the way for anti-tick vaccines as a promising, eco-friendly alternative to manage H. longicornis infestations and reduce tick-borne disease transmission. This review explores recent discoveries in tick antigens, the development of recombinant proteins, and their knockdown effects on H. longicornis infestations.
Observations:
Several novel antigens target essential physiological processes for tick survival. Reproductive and developmental antigens, such as subolesin and subolesin+cystatin, regulate immunity and reproduction, reducing blood feeding, oviposition, egg mass, and hatching rates. Knockdown of recombinant P27/30 impairs embryogenesis, significantly reducing larval survival. Chitinase inhibition disrupts molting, impairing nymph development. Metabolic enzymes like enolase and GSK-3β regulate homeostasis and energy production; their inhibition reduces feeding efficiency and survivability. Additionally, ribosomal protein S27 and troponin I-like protein, essential for protein synthesis and muscle contraction, respectively, impact tick growth and mobility. These antigens may serve as valuable vaccine targets for controlling H. longicornis.
Conclusions And Relevance:
Anti-tick vaccines offer a cost-effective, sustainable alternative to chemical controls. Advances in transcriptomics, genomics, and proteomics have identified promising antigens, with subolesin, chitinase, troponin I-like protein, GSK-3β, and enolase demonstrating strong potential. Enolase, affecting immunity, reproduction, and pathogen transmission, emerges as the most effective target for reducing H. longicornis infestations.
