Abstract
The poultry red mite (PRM), Dermanyssus gallinae, is a hematophagous ectoparasite of birds with worldwide distribution that causes economic losses in the egg-production sector of the poultry industry. Traditional control methods, mainly based on acaricides, have been only partially successful, and new vaccine-based interventions are required for the control of PRM. Vaccination with insect Akirin (AKR) and its homolog in ticks, Subolesin (SUB), have shown protective efficacy for the control of ectoparasite infestations and pathogen infection/transmission. The aim of this study was the identification of the akr gene from D. gallinae (Deg-akr), the production of the recombinant Deg-AKR protein, and evaluation of its efficacy as a vaccine candidate for the control of PRM. The anti-Deg-AKR serum IgY antibodies in hen sera and egg yolk were higher in vaccinated than control animals throughout the experiment. The results demonstrated the efficacy of the vaccination with Deg-AKR for the control of PRM by reducing mite oviposition by 42% following feeding on vaccinated hens. A negative correlation between the levels of serum anti-Deg-AKR IgY and mite oviposition was obtained. These results support Deg-AKR as a candidate protective antigen for the control of PRM population growth.
Highlights
The poultry red mite (PRM), Dermanyssus gallinae (De Geer, 1778), is a hematophagous parasitic mite of birds
The results showed a 42% reduction in oviposition (GLMM; F = 6.06, p = 0.014, gl1 = 1, gl2 = 747) of mites fed on vaccinated hens when compared to controls
Mosquito AKR was previously used as a vaccine candidate against PRM in an experiment that provided support for the role of AKR as a protective antigen [15]
Summary
The poultry red mite (PRM), Dermanyssus gallinae (De Geer, 1778), is a hematophagous parasitic mite of birds. It has a worldwide distribution and is considered the major pest for the poultry industry in Europe and Asia with severe economic loses for the egg-production sector [1,2]. The PRM hides in furniture in the hen’s surroundings and feeds on the hens in darkness [3,4]. The lifecycle of PRM includes five stages: egg, larvae, protonymph, deutonymph, and adult, and it is usually completed in 2 weeks [5]. Severe infestations by PRM increases hen mortality by provoking severe anemia and Vaccines 2019, 7, 121; doi:10.3390/vaccines7030121 www.mdpi.com/journal/vaccines. PRM has been shown to be a vector for multiple pathogenic viruses and bacteria [2,9,10]
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