Antigens of the sheep scab mite Psoroptes ovis
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Updated: Oct 27, 2026

Clinical Examination Protocol to Detect Atypical and Classical Scrapie in Sheep
Published on: January 19, 2014
K G Jayawardena1, A Heller-Haupt, R M Woodland
1Department of Farm Animal and Equine Medicine and Surgery, Royal Veterinary College, Herts, UK.
Abstract:
Sheep scab caused by the mite Psoroptes ovis (Hering) is a highly contagious disease of sheep. As a first step in developing a mite-derived vaccine for controlling the disease, the soluble antigens in mite extracts which induce an immune response in sheep were identified by electrophoretic and immunoblotting techniques. At least 22 proteins were present in P. ovis extracts as revealed by Coomassie Blue staining. Mite-infested sheep serum recognised six antigenic bands in the extracts with approximate relative molecular weights ranging from 12 to 183 kDa. A deeply staining band at 31.2 kDa and another at 41.8 kDa are of particular diagnostic value. Immunoblotting studies showed that there was no cross reactivity between P. ovis and two other ectoparasites of sheep in the UK, the sheep louse Bovicola ovis (Schrank) and the sheep tick Ixodes ricinus L.
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