Reduction in Oviposition of Poultry Red Mite (Dermanyssus gallinae) in Hens Vaccinated with Recombinant Akirin
by
Jose Francisco Lima-Barbero 1,2
, Marinela Contreras 1, Kathryn Bartley 3, Daniel R. G. Price 3, Francesca Nunn 3, Marta Sanchez-Sanchez 1, Eduardo Prado 4, Ursula Höfle 1, Margarita Villar 1, Alasdair J. Nisbet 3 and 
José de la Fuente 1,5,*
Jose Francisco Lima-Barbero 1,2, Marinela Contreras 1, Kathryn Bartley 3, Daniel R. G. Price 3, Francesca Nunn 3, Marta Sanchez-Sanchez 1, Eduardo Prado 4, Ursula Höfle 1, Margarita Villar 1, Alasdair J. Nisbet 3 and José de la Fuente 1,5,*
1
SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ronda de Toledo 12, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain
2
Sabiotec, Ed. Polivalente UCLM, Camino de Moledores s/n, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain
3
Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Edinburgh, Midlothian EH26 0PZ, UK
4
Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Castilla La Mancha, Avda. Camilo José Cela 10, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain
5
Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Vaccines 2019, 7(3), 121; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines7030121
Received: 3 September 2019 / Revised: 13 September 2019 / Accepted: 17 September 2019 / Published: 19 September 2019
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Arthropod Ectoparasites and Associated Diseases)
The poultry red mite (PRM), Dermanyssus gallinae, is a hematophagous ectoparasite of birds with worldwide distribution that causes economic losses in the egg-production sector of the poultry industry. Traditional control methods, mainly based on acaricides, have been only partially successful, and new vaccine-based interventions are required for the control of PRM. Vaccination with insect Akirin (AKR) and its homolog in ticks, Subolesin (SUB), have shown protective efficacy for the control of ectoparasite infestations and pathogen infection/transmission. The aim of this study was the identification of the akr gene from D. gallinae (Deg-akr), the production of the recombinant Deg-AKR protein, and evaluation of its efficacy as a vaccine candidate for the control of PRM. The anti-Deg-AKR serum IgY antibodies in hen sera and egg yolk were higher in vaccinated than control animals throughout the experiment. The results demonstrated the efficacy of the vaccination with Deg-AKR for the control of PRM by reducing mite oviposition by 42% following feeding on vaccinated hens. A negative correlation between the levels of serum anti-Deg-AKR IgY and mite oviposition was obtained. These results support Deg-AKR as a candidate protective antigen for the control of PRM population growth.
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Keywords:
Dermanyssus; Akirin; vaccine; control; poultry red mite; tick; Subolesin
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MDPI and ACS Style
Lima-Barbero, J.F.; Contreras, M.; Bartley, K.; Price, D.R.G.; Nunn, F.; Sanchez-Sanchez, M.; Prado, E.; Höfle, U.; Villar, M.; Nisbet, A.J.; de la Fuente, J. Reduction in Oviposition of Poultry Red Mite (Dermanyssus gallinae) in Hens Vaccinated with Recombinant Akirin. Vaccines 2019, 7, 121.
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