New Approaches in Vaccine Development for the Control of Vectors and Vector-Borne Diseases

A special issue of Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X). This special issue belongs to the section "Epidemiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 12016

Special Issue Editors

SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ciudad Real, Spain
Interests: tick-borne diseases; ticks; zoonotic diseases; veterinary parasitology; medical entomology; molecular biology; biotechnology immunology; parasitic diseases; zoonoses
SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ciudad Real, Spain
Interests: vector vaccine development; tick-borne diseases; omics technologies

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Vaccination is an environmentally friendly alternative for the control of emerging vector-borne and infectious diseases. One of the main limitations in the development of effective vaccines for the prevention and control of vector infestation and pathogen transmission is the identification and design of effective protective antigens. Therefore, new challenges such as host immunity, pathogen and environmental factors, vaccine efficacy and safety need to be addressed.

This Special Issue aims to include the latest approaches that are being used for the identification and characterization of new vaccine antigen candidates. Potential topics include mosquitoes, ticks, mites, sandflies, malaria, Lyme diseases, anaplasmosis, Crimean–Congo virus, and flaviviruses. Topics related to vector vaccine development, vaccination and vaccine safety are also included.

Dr. Marinela Contreras
Dr. Sara Artigas Jerónimo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • ticks
  • mosquitoes
  • mites
  • vaccines
  • vaccination
  • pathogen control
  • vector-borne disease control
  • vector-borne diseases

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 2487 KiB  
Article
Protective Efficacy of Multiple Epitope-Based Vaccine against Hyalomma anatolicum, Vector of Theileria annulata and Crimean–Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus
by Abhijit Nandi, Manisha, Vandana Solanki, Vishvanath Tiwari, Basavaraj Sajjanar, Muthu Sankar, Mohini Saini, Sameer Shrivastava, S. K. Bhure and Srikant Ghosh
Vaccines 2023, 11(4), 881; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11040881 - 21 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2071
Abstract
Hyalomma anatolicum is the principal vector for Theileria annulata, T. equi, and T. Lestoquardi in animals and the Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever virus in humans. Due to the gradual loss of efficacy of the available acaricides against field tick populations, the development [...] Read more.
Hyalomma anatolicum is the principal vector for Theileria annulata, T. equi, and T. Lestoquardi in animals and the Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever virus in humans. Due to the gradual loss of efficacy of the available acaricides against field tick populations, the development of phytoacaricides and vaccines has been considered the two most critical components of the integrated tick management strategies. In the present study, in order to induce both cellular and humoral immune responses in the host against H. anatolicum, two multi-epitopic peptides (MEPs), i.e., VT1 and VT2, were designed. The immune-stimulating potential of the constructs was determined by in silicoinvestigation on allergenicity (non-allergen, antigenic (0.46 and 1.0046)), physicochemical properties (instability index 27.18 and 35.46), as well as the interaction of constructs with TLRs by docking and molecular dynamics analysis. The immunization efficacy of the MEPs mixed with 8% MontanideTM gel 01 PR against H. anatolicum larvae was determined as 93.3% and 96.9% in VT1- and VT2-immunized rabbits, respectively. Against adults, the efficacy was 89.9% and 86.4% in VT1- and VT2-immunized rabbits, respectively. A significant (p < 0.001) reduction in the anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-4) and significantly higher IgG response was observed in a VT1-immunized group of rabbits as compared with the response observed in the control group. However, in the case of the VT2-immunized rabbits, an elevated anti-VT2 IgG and pro-inflammatory cytokine (IL-2) (>30 fold) along with a decreased level of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-4 (0.75 times) was noted. The efficacy of MEP and its potential immune stimulatory responses indicate that it might be useful for tick management. Full article
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19 pages, 9716 KiB  
Article
Vaccination of Zoo Birds against West Nile Virus—A Field Study
by Felicitas Bergmann, Dominik Fischer, Luisa Fischer, Heike Maisch, Tina Risch, Saskia Dreyer, Balal Sadeghi, Dietmar Geelhaar, Lisa Grund, Sabine Merz, Martin H. Groschup and Ute Ziegler
Vaccines 2023, 11(3), 652; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11030652 - 14 Mar 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2111
Abstract
West Nile virus (WNV) is known to cause disease and death in humans and various animals worldwide. WNV has circulated in Germany since 2018. In 2020, four birds tested positive for the WNV genome at Zoopark Erfurt (Thuringia). Moreover, virus neutralization assays detected [...] Read more.
West Nile virus (WNV) is known to cause disease and death in humans and various animals worldwide. WNV has circulated in Germany since 2018. In 2020, four birds tested positive for the WNV genome at Zoopark Erfurt (Thuringia). Moreover, virus neutralization assays detected neutralizing antibodies (nAb) against WNV in 28 birds. In addition, nAb against WNV and Usutu virus (USUV) were found in 14 birds. To protect valuable animals and to reduce the risk of viral transmission from birds to humans, we performed a field study on WNV vaccination at the zoo. To conduct the study, 61 birds from the zoo were categorized into three groups and subjected to a vaccination regimen, where each bird received either 1.0 mL, 0.5 mL, or 0.3 mL of a commercial inactivated WNV vaccine three times. The vaccinations were administered at three-week intervals, or as per modified vaccination schedules. Furthermore, 52 birds served as non-vaccinated controls. Adverse vaccination reactions were absent. The greatest increase in nAb titres was observed in birds that received 1.0 mL of vaccine. However, pre-existing antibodies to WNV and USUV appeared to have a major effect on antibody development in all groups and in all bird species, whereas sex and age had no effect. After vaccination, no death was detected in vaccinated birds for more than 1 year. Full article
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16 pages, 2234 KiB  
Article
A Quantum Vaccinomics Approach for the Design and Production of MSP4 Chimeric Antigen for the Control of Anaplasma phagocytophilum Infections
by José de la Fuente, Alberto Moraga-Fernández, Pilar Alberdi, Sandra Díaz-Sánchez, Olga García-Álvarez, Rubén Fernández-Melgar and Marinela Contreras
Vaccines 2022, 10(12), 1995; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10121995 - 24 Nov 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1559
Abstract
Anaplasma phagocytophilum Major surface protein 4 (MSP4) plays a role during infection and multiplication in host neutrophils and tick vector cells. Recently, vaccination trials with the A. phagocytophilum antigen MSP4 in sheep showed only partial protection against pathogen infection. However, in rabbits immunized [...] Read more.
Anaplasma phagocytophilum Major surface protein 4 (MSP4) plays a role during infection and multiplication in host neutrophils and tick vector cells. Recently, vaccination trials with the A. phagocytophilum antigen MSP4 in sheep showed only partial protection against pathogen infection. However, in rabbits immunized with MSP4, this recombinant antigen was protective. Differences between rabbit and sheep antibody responses are probably associated with the recognition of non-protective epitopes by IgG of immunized lambs. To address this question, we applied quantum vaccinomics to identify and characterize MSP4 protective epitopes by a microarray epitope mapping using sera from vaccinated rabbits and sheep. The identified candidate protective epitopes or immunological quantum were used for the design and production of a chimeric protective antigen. Inhibition assays of A. phagocytophilum infection in human HL60 and Ixodes scapularis tick ISE6 cells evidenced protection by IgG from sheep and rabbits immunized with the chimeric antigen. These results supported that the design of new chimeric candidate protective antigens using quantum vaccinomics to improve the protective capacity of antigens in multiple hosts. Full article
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15 pages, 3034 KiB  
Article
The Correlation between Subolesin-Reactive Epitopes and Vaccine Efficacy
by Marinela Contreras, Paul D. Kasaija, Fredrick Kabi, Swidiq Mugerwa and José De la Fuente
Vaccines 2022, 10(8), 1327; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10081327 - 16 Aug 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1548
Abstract
Vaccination is an environmentally-friendly alternative for tick control. The tick antigen Subolesin (SUB) has shown protection in vaccines for the control of multiple tick species in cattle. Additionally, recent approaches in quantum vaccinomics have predicted SUB-protective epitopes and the peptide sequences involved in [...] Read more.
Vaccination is an environmentally-friendly alternative for tick control. The tick antigen Subolesin (SUB) has shown protection in vaccines for the control of multiple tick species in cattle. Additionally, recent approaches in quantum vaccinomics have predicted SUB-protective epitopes and the peptide sequences involved in protein–protein interactions in this tick antigen. Therefore, the identification of B-cell–reactive epitopes by epitope mapping using a SUB peptide array could be essential as a novel strategy for vaccine development. Subolesin can be used as a model to evaluate the effectiveness of these approaches for the identification of protective epitopes related to vaccine protection and efficacy. In this study, the mapping of B-cell linear epitopes of SUB from three different tick species common in Uganda (Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, R. decoloratus, and Amblyomma variegatum) was conducted using serum samples from two cattle breeds immunized with SUB-based vaccines. The results showed that in cattle immunized with SUB from R. appendiculatus (SUBra) all the reactive peptides (Z-score > 2) recognized by IgG were also significant (Z-ratio > 1.96) when compared to the control group. Additionally, some of the reactive peptides recognized by IgG from the control group were also recognized in SUB cocktail–immunized groups. As a significant result, cattle groups that showed the highest vaccine efficacy were Bos indicus immunized with a SUB cocktail (92%), and crossbred cattle were immunized with SUBra (90%) against R. appendiculatus ticks; the IgG from these groups recognized overlapping epitopes from the peptide SPTGLSPGLSPVRDQPLFTFRQVGLICERMMKERESQIRDEYDHVLSAKLAEQYDTFVKFTYDQKRFEGATPSYLS (Z-ratio > 1.96), which partially corresponded to a Q38 peptide and the SUB protein interaction domain. These identified epitopes could be related to the protection and efficacy of the SUB-based vaccines, and new chimeras containing these protective epitopes could be designed using this new approach. Full article
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Review

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21 pages, 1480 KiB  
Review
Inspiring Anti-Tick Vaccine Research, Development and Deployment in Tropical Africa for the Control of Cattle Ticks: Review and Insights
by Paul D. Kasaija, Marinela Contreras, Halid Kirunda, Ann Nanteza, Fredrick Kabi, Swidiq Mugerwa and José de la Fuente
Vaccines 2023, 11(1), 99; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11010099 - 31 Dec 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2549
Abstract
Ticks are worldwide ectoparasites to humans and animals, and are associated with numerous health and economic effects. Threatening over 80% of the global cattle population, tick and tick-borne diseases (TTBDs) particularly constrain livestock production in the East, Central and Southern Africa. This, therefore, [...] Read more.
Ticks are worldwide ectoparasites to humans and animals, and are associated with numerous health and economic effects. Threatening over 80% of the global cattle population, tick and tick-borne diseases (TTBDs) particularly constrain livestock production in the East, Central and Southern Africa. This, therefore, makes their control critical to the sustainability of the animal industry in the region. Since ticks are developing resistance against acaricides, anti-tick vaccines (ATVs) have been proposed as an environmentally friendly control alternative. Whereas they have been used in Latin America and Australia to reduce tick populations, pathogenic infections and number of acaricide treatments, commercially registered ATVs have not been adopted in tropical Africa for tick control. This is majorly due to their limited protection against economically important tick species of Africa and lack of research. Recent advances in various omics technologies and reverse vaccinology have enabled the identification of many candidate anti-tick antigens (ATAs), and are likely to usher in the next generation of vaccines, for which Africa should prepare to embrace. Herein, we highlight some scientific principles and approaches that have been used to identify ATAs, outline characteristics of a desirable ATA for vaccine design and propose the need for African governments to investment in ATV research to develop vaccines relevant to local tick species (personalized vaccines). We have also discussed the prospect of incorporating anti-tick vaccines into the integrated TTBDs control strategies in the sub-Saharan Africa, citing the case of Uganda. Full article
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Other

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5 pages, 1217 KiB  
Commentary
Monitoring the Subolesin Vaccine Field Trial for Safer Control of Cattle Ticks Amidst Increasing Acaricide Resistance in Uganda
by Fredrick Kabi, Moses Dhikusooka, Moses Matovu, Swidiq Mugerwa, Paul Kasaija, Patrick Emudong, Halid Kirunda, Marinela Contreras, Christian Gortazar and Jose De la Fuente
Vaccines 2022, 10(10), 1594; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10101594 - 22 Sep 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1496
Abstract
A collaboration program was established between the group of Health and Biotechnology (SaBio) of the IREC Institute of Game and Wildlife Research (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Spain) and the National Agricultural Research Organization of Uganda (NARO) for the development of vaccines for the control of cattle [...] Read more.
A collaboration program was established between the group of Health and Biotechnology (SaBio) of the IREC Institute of Game and Wildlife Research (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Spain) and the National Agricultural Research Organization of Uganda (NARO) for the development of vaccines for the control of cattle ticks in Uganda. Controlled pen trials identified a tick protective antigen, Rhipicephalus appendiculatus Subolesin, and a cross-species-effective vaccine formulation. As the next step, a controlled vaccine field trial has been approved by Ugandan state regulatory authorities, the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST) and the National Drug Authority (NDA), to evaluate the efficacy and effectiveness of the vaccine formulation for the control of cattle tick infestations under field conditions. The results of this trial may lead to the approval of the vaccine for application in Uganda to improve cattle health and production while reducing the use of acaricides. Full article
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