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REVIEW article

Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Parasitology
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1484787
This article is part of the Research Topic Innovative Approaches for Precise Identification and Control of Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens View all 7 articles

Current vaccines, experimental immunization trials, and new perspectives to control selected vector borne blood parasites of veterinary importance

Provisionally accepted
Heba F. Alzan Heba F. Alzan 1*Mona S. Mahmoud Mona S. Mahmoud 2Carlos E. Suarez Carlos E. Suarez 3*
  • 1 Washington State University, Pullman, United States
  • 2 Parasitology and animal diseases department, National Research center (NRC), Giza, Beni Suef, Egypt
  • 3 United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Washington, District of Columbia, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Parasite infections transmitted by vectors such as ticks and blood-sucking arthropods pose a significant threat to both human and animal health worldwide and have a substantial economic impact, particularly in the context of worsening environmental conditions. These infections can manifest in a variety of symptoms, including fever, anemia, jaundice, enlarged spleen, neurological disorders, and lymphatic issues, and can have varying mortality rates. In this review, we will focus on the current state of available vaccines, vaccine research approaches, and trials for diseases caused by vector-borne blood parasites, such as Babesia, Theileria, Anaplasma, and Trypanosoma, in farm animals. Control measures for these infections primarily rely on vector control, parasiticidal drug treatments, and vaccinations for disease prevention. However, many of these approaches have limitations, such as environmental concerns associated with the use of parasiticides, acaricides, and insecticides. Additionally, while some vaccines for blood parasites are already available, they still have several drawbacks, including practicality issues, unsuitability in non-endemic areas, and concerns about spreading other infectious agents, particularly in the case of live vaccines. This article highlights recent efforts to develop vaccines for controlling blood parasites in animals. The focus is on vaccine development approaches that show promise, including those based on recombinant antigens, vectored vaccines, and live attenuated or genetically modified parasites. Despite intensive research, developing effective subunit vaccines against blood stage parasites remains a challenge. By learning from previous vaccine development efforts and using emerging technologies to define immune mechanisms of protection, appropriate adjuvants, and protective antigens, we can expand our toolkit for controlling these burdensome diseases.

    Keywords: Vaccine, farm animals, Vector borne, Ticks, blood sucking flies; parasites

    Received: 22 Aug 2024; Accepted: 28 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Alzan, Mahmoud and Suarez. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Heba F. Alzan, Washington State University, Pullman, United States
    Carlos E. Suarez, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Washington, 20250, District of Columbia, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.