de la Fuente J, Kocan K M
Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Center for Veterinary pathobiology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078-2007, USA.
Parasite Immunol. 2006 Jul;28(7):275-83. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3024.2006.00828.x.
Ticks are distributed worldwide and impact human and animal health, as well as food animal production. Control of ticks has been primarily by application of acaricides, which has resulted in selection of resistant ticks and environmental pollution. Vaccines have been shown to be a feasible tick control method that offers a cost-effective, environmentally friendly alternative to chemical control. However, identification of tick-protective antigens remains the limiting step in vaccine development. Tick antigens exposed naturally to the host during tick feeding and those concealed have both shown promise as candidate vaccine antigens. Development of vaccines against multiple tick species may be possible using highly conserved tick-protective antigens or by antigens showing immune cross-reaction to different tick species. Vaccines made from a combination of key protective antigens may greatly enhance vaccine efficacy. Preliminary studies have suggested the possibility of vaccine strategies directed toward both tick control and the blocking of pathogen transmission. Characterization of the tick genomes will have a great impact on the discovery of new protective antigens. The future of research directed toward tick vaccine development is exciting because of new and emerging technologies for gene discovery, and vaccine formulation and delivery.
蜱虫分布于全球，影响着人类和动物的健康以及食用动物的生产。蜱虫的控制主要依靠使用杀螨剂，这已导致蜱虫产生抗性并造成环境污染。疫苗已被证明是一种可行的蜱虫控制方法，它提供了一种比化学控制更具成本效益且环保的替代方案。然而，蜱虫保护性抗原的鉴定仍然是疫苗开发中的限制步骤。蜱虫在取食过程中自然暴露于宿主的抗原以及隐藏的抗原因其有望成为候选疫苗抗原。利用高度保守的蜱虫保护性抗原或对不同蜱虫种类显示免疫交叉反应的抗原，开发针对多种蜱虫种类的疫苗或许是可行的。由关键保护性抗原组合制成的疫苗可能会大大提高疫苗效力。初步研究表明，有可能制定针对蜱虫控制和阻断病原体传播的疫苗策略。蜱虫基因组的表征将对新保护性抗原的发现产生重大影响。由于基因发现以及疫苗配方和递送方面的新技术不断涌现，蜱虫疫苗开发的未来研究令人兴奋。
