Vaccination of companion animals to elicit a protective immune response against tick infestations and tick-borne pathogen transmission

US9408896B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignees

• The United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of Agriculture · US
• Louisiana State University Agricultural Center · US

Inventors

• Felicito Guerrero · Kerrville, US
• Adalberto A. Perez De Leon · Kerrville, US
• Lane D. Foil · Baton Rouge, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 7, 2014
• Grant date: Aug 9, 2016
• Expiry date: Mar 9, 2034

Classification

• Technology area (CPC A): Human Necessities
• CPC primary: A61K2039/55566
• WIPO field: Pharmaceuticals
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

Compositions of either the aquaporin protein from the cattle tick, Rhipicephalus microplus, or a nucleic acid construct incorporating a nucleic acid sequence encoding this aquaporin protein, are effective for eliciting a protective immune response against other tick species in non-bovine animals. The R. microplus aquaporin protein is antigenic and can be administered as a protein vaccine, or in the alternative, the nucleic acid construct can be utilized as a DNA vaccine. Induction of the immune response significantly reduces or eliminates the infestation of treated, non-bovine animals with ticks other than the cattle tick, particularly the brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus. Moreover, as ticks are vectors of a variety of pathogenic agents, the reduction in the incidence of tick infestation afforded by the vaccines may concurrently reduce the incidence of diseases caused by these pathogenic agents in susceptible animals.