Browsing by Author "Kasaija, Paul D."

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    The Correlation between Subolesin-Reactive Epitopes and Vaccine Efficacy
    (Vaccines, 2022) Contreras, Marinela; Kasaija, Paul D.; Kabi, Fredrick; Mugerwa, Swidiq; De la Fuente, José
    Vaccination is an environmentally-friendly alternative for tick control. The tick antigen Subolesin (SUB) has shown protection in vaccines for the control of multiple tick species in cattle. Additionally, recent approaches in quantum vaccinomics have predicted SUB-protective epitopes and the peptide sequences involved in protein–protein interactions in this tick antigen. Therefore, the identification of B-cell–reactive epitopes by epitope mapping using a SUB peptide array could be essential as a novel strategy for vaccine development. Subolesin can be used as a model to evaluate the effectiveness of these approaches for the identification of protective epitopes related to vaccine protection and efficacy. In this study, the mapping of B-cell linear epitopes of SUB from three different tick species common in Uganda (Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, R. decoloratus, and Amblyomma variegatum) was conducted using serum samples from two cattle breeds immunized with SUB-based vaccines. The results showed that in cattle immunized with SUB from R. appendiculatus (SUBra) all the reactive peptides (Z-score > 2) recognized by IgG were also significant (Z-ratio > 1.96) when compared to the control group. Additionally, some of the reactive peptides recognized by IgG from the control group were also recognized in SUB cocktail–immunized groups. As a significant result, cattle groups that showed the highest vaccine efficacy were Bos indicus immunized with a SUB cocktail (92%), and crossbred cattle were immunized with SUBra (90%) against R. appendiculatus ticks; the IgG from these groups recognized overlapping epitopes from the peptide SPTGLSPGLSPVRDQPLFTFRQVGLICERMMKERESQIRDEYDHVLSAKLAEQYDTFVKFTYDQKRFEGATPSYLS (Z-ratio > 1.96), which partially corresponded to a Q38 peptide and the SUB protein interaction domain. These identified epitopes could be related to the protection and efficacy of the SUB-based vaccines, and new chimeras containing these protective epitopes could be designed using this new approach.
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    Inspiring Anti-Tick Vaccine Research, Development and Deployment in Tropical Africa for the Control of Cattle Ticks: Review and Insights
    (Vaccines, 2022) Kasaija, Paul D.; Kirunda, Halid; Nanteza, Ann; Kabi, Fredrick; Mugerwa, Swidiq; Fuente, José de la
    Ticks are worldwide ectoparasites to humans and animals, and are associated with numerous health and economic effects. Threatening over 80% of the global cattle population, tick and tick-borne diseases (TTBDs) particularly constrain livestock production in the East, Central and Southern Africa. This, therefore, makes their control critical to the sustainability of the animal industry in the region. Since ticks are developing resistance against acaricides, anti-tick vaccines (ATVs) have been proposed as an environmentally friendly control alternative. Whereas they have been used in Latin America and Australia to reduce tick populations, pathogenic infections and number of acaricide treatments, commercially registered ATVs have not been adopted in tropical Africa for tick control. This is majorly due to their limited protection against economically important tick species of Africa and lack of research. Recent advances in various omics technologies and reverse vaccinology have enabled the identification of many candidate anti-tick antigens (ATAs), and are likely to usher in the next generation of vaccines, for which Africa should prepare to embrace. Herein, we highlight some scientific principles and approaches that have been used to identify ATAs, outline characteristics of a desirable ATA for vaccine design and propose the need for African governments to investment in ATV research to develop vaccines relevant to local tick species (personalized vaccines). We have also discussed the prospect of incorporating anti-tick vaccines into the integrated TTBDs control strategies in the sub-Saharan Africa, citing the case of Uganda.
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    Towards a Multidisciplinary Approach to Improve Cattle Health and Production in Uganda
    (Vaccines, 2019) Fuente, José de la; Contreras, Marinela; Kasaija, Paul D.; Gortazar, Christian; Ruiz-Fons, Jose F.; Mateo, Rafael; Kabi, Fredrick
    A meeting and course supported by the Vice-Presidency for International A airs of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the National Agricultural Research Organization of Uganda (NARO) were held at the National Livestock Resources Research Institute (NaLIRRI) in Nakyesasa, Wakiso, Uganda on September 2–9, 2019. The activities were conducted within the collaboration program between the Institute of Game andWildlife Research (IREC, CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Spain) and NARO for the development of vaccines and other interventions for the control of cattle ticks in Uganda.
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    Vaccination with Recombinant Subolesin Antigens Provides Cross-Tick Species Protection in Bos indicus and Crossbred Cattle in Uganda
    (Vaccines, 2020) Kasaija, Paul D.; Contreras, Marinela; Kabi, Fredrick; Mugerwa, Swidiq; Fuente, José de la
    Cattle tick infestations and transmitted pathogens a ect animal health, production and welfare with an impact on cattle industry in tropical and subtropical countries. Anti-tick vaccines constitute an e ective and sustainable alternative to the traditional methods for the control of tick infestations. Subolesin (SUB)-based vaccines have shown e cacy for the control of multiple tick species, but several factors a ect the development of new and more e ective vaccines for the control of tick infestations. To address this challenge, herein we used a regional and host/tick species driven approach for vaccine design and implementation. The objective of the study was to develop SUB-based vaccines for the control of the most important tick species (Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, R. decoloratus and Amblyomma variegatum) a ecting production of common cattle breeds (Bos indicus and B. indicus x B. taurus crossbred) in Uganda. In this way, we addressed the development of anti-tick vaccines as an intervention to prevent the economic losses caused by ticks and tick-borne diseases in the cattle industry in Uganda. The results showed the possibility of using SUB antigens for the control of multiple tick species in B. indicus and crossbred cattle and suggested the use of R. appendiculatus SUB to continue research on vaccine design and formulation for the control of cattle ticks in Uganda. Future directions would include quantum vaccinology approaches based on the characterization of the SUB protective epitopes, modeling of the vaccine E under Ugandan ecological and epidemiological conditions and optimization of vaccine formulation including the possibility of oral administration.