A vaccinology Approach to the Identification and Characterization of Dermanyssus Gallinae Candidate Protective Antigens for the Control of Poultry Red Mite Infestations.

José Lima-Barbero,Daniel Price,Francisco Mata-Lorenzo,Lourdes Mateos-Hernández,Ursula Höfle,Margarita Villar,Roxana Triguero-Ocaña,Christina Strube,Kathryn Bartley,Olivier Sparagano,Robert Finn,Alasdair Nisbet,José De La Fuente,Francesca Nunn,Mariana Boadella,Marinela Contreras

doi:10.3390/vaccines7040190

Abstract

The poultry red mite (PRM), Dermanyssus gallinae, is a hematophagous ectoparasite considered as the major pest in the egg-laying industry. Its pesticide-based control is only partially successful and requires the development of new control interventions such as vaccines. In this study, we follow a vaccinology approach to identify PRM candidate protective antigens. Based on proteomic data from fed and unfed nymph and adult mites, we selected a novel PRM protein, calumenin (Deg-CALU), which is tested as a vaccine candidate on an on-hen trial. Rhipicephalus microplus Subolesin (Rhm-SUB) was chosen as a positive control. Deg-CALU and Rhm-SUB reduced the mite oviposition by 35 and 44%, respectively. These results support Deg-CALU and Rhm-SUB as candidate protective antigens for the PRM control.

Highlights

The parasitic mite Dermanyssus gallinae (Mesostigmata: Dermanyssidae), known as poultry red mite (PRM), is the major pest for the poultry industry [1]
LeftRight picture: Distribution of proteins identified in female adult circle) picture: Distribution of proteins identified in fed could have several Gene ontology (GO) annotations, a fact that was included in the results shown in the graphs. (A)
The same protein could have several GO annotations, a fact that was included in the results shown in the graphs

Summary

Introduction

The parasitic mite Dermanyssus gallinae (Mesostigmata: Dermanyssidae), known as poultry red mite (PRM), is the major pest for the poultry industry [1] It is distributed worldwide, present in every production system and can be shown in high prevalence in commercial egg laying facilities, as is the case in Europe, reaching a prevalence of 100% in some countries [2]. The mite feeds on the blood of the hens in the dark and spends just 30–60 min on the host [3]; during daytime it hides in cracks out of the reach of the birds [4] According to this behaviour, PRM can be better considered as a micro predator [5]. Depending on the level of infestation, it can lead to increased mortality by exsanguination and behavioural disorders due to sleep deprivation [7,8,9]

Methods

Results

Conclusion