Abstract
BackgroundDespite the abundance of the domestic cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis (Bouché, 1835) and disease risks associated with them, flea control is difficult and requires the development of new control interventions such as vaccines. In this study, a reverse vaccinology approach was designed to achieve a rational selection of cat flea candidate protective antigens.MethodsBased on transcriptomics and proteomics data from unfed adult fleas it was possible to select more specific candidate protective antigens based on highly represented and functionally relevant proteins present in the predicted exoproteome. The protective capacity of the recombinant antigens was evaluated for the control of C. felis infestations in vaccinated cats.ResultsVaccination with recombinant antigens induced an antibody response in immunized cats. Furthermore, a correlation was obtained between the effect of vaccination (antibody levels) and vaccine efficacy on flea phenotype (egg hatchability). The results suggested that the main effect of vaccination with these antigens was on reducing cat flea egg hatchability and fertility, with an overall vaccine efficacy of 32–46%. Although vaccination with these antigens did not have an effect on flea infestations, vaccines affecting reproductive capacity could reduce cat flea populations, particularly under conditions of direct insect transmission between cats.ConclusionsThese results support the development of vaccines with protective antigens affecting flea reproduction and development after feeding on immunized animals for the control of cat flea infestations.
Highlights
Despite the abundance of the domestic cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis (Bouché, 1835) and disease risks associated with them, flea control is difficult and requires the development of new control interventions such as vaccines
The results showed that the main effect of vaccination with these antigens was on reducing cat flea eggs hatchability and fertility, with an overall vaccine efficacy of 32–46% on the control of cat flea infestations by considering the cumulative effect on the different developmental stages
Transcripts in cat flea encoding proteins with putative transmembrane and signal peptide in the exoproteome (n = 177) were functionally annotated, and the most represented GO annotations corresponded to developmental process (BP), binding (MF) and membrane/secreted proteins (CC) (Fig. 2a-c)
Summary
Despite the abundance of the domestic cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis (Bouché, 1835) and disease risks associated with them, flea control is difficult and requires the development of new control interventions such as vaccines. Fleas of pets are competent intermediate hosts of the tapeworm Dipylidium caninum (pulicosis) and the filarial nematode Acanthocheilonema reconditum (subcutaneous infection in animals and ocular disease in humans) [1, 7]. These fleas have a low degree of species-specificity, being able to infest humans, companion animals and wildlife [1]. Resistance or reduced susceptibility has been reported for some of these compounds [1, 14,15,16], suggesting the need for alternative control methods
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