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TICKS ARE BLOODSUCKING ARTHROPODS THAT CAUSE SUBSTANTIAL ECONOMIC LOSS TO THE CATTLE INDUSTRY DIRECTLY AND THROUGH THE TRANSMISSION OF PATHOGENS INCLUDING BACTERIA, VIRUSES AND PARASITES. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT TICKS AND TICK-BORNE PATHOGENS CAUSE ANNUAL LOSSES OF > $20 BILLION US DOLLARS WORLDWIDE. CURRENTLY, THE MOST EFFECTIVE AND WIDELY USED METHOD TO MINIMIZE TICK FEEDING AND CONTROL TRANSMISSION OF PATHOGENS IS THE USE OF CHEMICAL ACARICIDES. HOWEVER, LONG-TERM USE HAS LED TO ACARICIDE-RESISTANT TICK POPULATIONS AND CREATED ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS. THE RECENT DISCOVERY OF TICKS IN MEXICO WITH RESISTANCE TO MULTIPLE ACARICIDES RAISES CONCERNS REGARDING THE SPREAD OF TICKS THAT TRANSMIT PARASITES LETHAL TO CATTLE RESULTING IN ECONOMIC LOSSES TO THE US CATTLE INDUSTRY. ALTHOUGH ANTI-TICK VACCINES HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED, THEIR EFFICACY IS LESS THAN IDEAL. BY FAR, THE MOST EFFECTIVE AND COMMONLY USED VACCINES AGAINST TICK TRANSMITTED PARASITES ARE BASED ON LIVE PARASITES. HOWEVER, DUE TO SAFETY CONCERNS THESE VACCINES ARE NOT LICENSED IN THE US. THEREFORE, SAFER, MORE EFFECTIVE AND ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY APPROACHES TO CONTROLLING TICKS AND THE PARASITES THEY TRANSMIT, ARE DESIRABLE. BIO-INSECTICIDES SUCH AS TOXINS DERIVED FROM SPIDER VENOM OFFER A POTENTIAL STRATEGY TO CONTROL TICKS IF NECESSARY DOSAGES COULD BE EFFICIENTLY DELIVERED. THIS PROJECT INVESTIGATES THE NOVEL APPROACH OF USING GENETICALLY MODIFIED, TICK-TRANSMISSIBLE PARASITES AS A DELIVERY PLATFORM FOR AN ANTI-TICK TOXIN TO TARGET AND KILL TICKS. BY SPECIFICALLY TARGETING TRANSMITTING TICKS, THIS STRATEGY HAS THE POTENTIAL DUAL BENEFIT OF ACTING AS AN ANTI-DISEASE VACCINE WHILE ALSO REDUCING TICK POPULATIONS. WE WILL TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT A GENETICALLY MODIFIED BABESIA PARASITE CAN BE ENGINEERED TO EXPRESS A SPIDER TOXIN WITHIN THE TICK THUS TARGETING AND KILLING PATHOGEN TRANSMITTING TICKS. THIS REQUIRES DEMONSTRATING THAT SPIDER TOXINS DELIVERED VIA AN ATTENUATED PARASITE KILLS TICKS. VACCINATION OF CATTLE WITH THIS MODIFIED B. BOVIS STRAIN IS HYPOTHESIZED TO PROTECT CATTLE AGAINST DISEASE AND INTERRUPT TRANSMISSION BY KILLING TICKS.

$500,000FY2016National Institute of Food and AgricultureUSDA

Agricultural Research Service

Investigators

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TICKS ARE BLOODSUCKING ARTHROPODS THAT CAUSE SUBSTANTIAL ECONOMIC LOSS TO THE CATTLE INDUSTRY DIRECTLY AND THROUGH THE TRANSMISSION OF PATHOGENS INCLUDING BACTERIA, VIRUSES AND PARASITES. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT TICKS AND TICK-BORNE PATHOGENS CAUSE ANNUAL LOSSES OF > $20 BILLION US DOLLARS WORLDWIDE. CURRENTLY, THE MOST EFFECTIVE AND WIDELY USED METHOD TO MINIMIZE TICK FEEDING AND CONTROL TRANSMISSION OF PATHOGENS IS THE USE OF CHEMICAL ACARICIDES. HOWEVER, LONG-TERM USE HAS LED TO ACARICIDE-RESISTANT TICK POPULATIONS AND CREATED ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS. THE RECENT DISCOVERY OF TICKS IN MEXICO WITH RESISTANCE TO MULTIPLE ACARICIDES RAISES CONCERNS REGARDING THE SPREAD OF TICKS THAT TRANSMIT PARASITES LETHAL TO CATTLE RESULTING IN ECONOMIC LOSSES TO THE US CATTLE INDUSTRY. ALTHOUGH ANTI-TICK VACCINES HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED, THEIR EFFICACY IS LESS THAN IDEAL. BY FAR, THE MOST EFFECTIVE AND COMMONLY USED VACCINES AGAINST TICK TRANSMITTED PARASITES ARE BASED ON LIVE PARASITES. HOWEVER, DUE TO SAFETY CONCERNS THESE VACCINES ARE NOT LICENSED IN THE US. THEREFORE, SAFER, MORE EFFECTIVE AND ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY APPROACHES TO CONTROLLING TICKS AND THE PARASITES THEY TRANSMIT, ARE DESIRABLE. BIO-INSECTICIDES SUCH AS TOXINS DERIVED FROM SPIDER VENOM OFFER A POTENTIAL STRATEGY TO CONTROL TICKS IF NECESSARY DOSAGES COULD BE EFFICIENTLY DELIVERED. THIS PROJECT INVESTIGATES THE NOVEL APPROACH OF USING GENETICALLY MODIFIED, TICK-TRANSMISSIBLE PARASITES AS A DELIVERY PLATFORM FOR AN ANTI-TICK TOXIN TO TARGET AND KILL TICKS. BY SPECIFICALLY TARGETING TRANSMITTING TICKS, THIS STRATEGY HAS THE POTENTIAL DUAL BENEFIT OF ACTING AS AN ANTI-DISEASE VACCINE WHILE ALSO REDUCING TICK POPULATIONS. WE WILL TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT A GENETICALLY MODIFIED BABESIA PARASITE CAN BE ENGINEERED TO EXPRESS A SPIDER TOXIN WITHIN THE TICK THUS TARGETING AND KILLING PATHOGEN TRANSMITTING TICKS. THIS REQUIRES DEMONSTRATING THAT SPIDER TOXINS DELIVERED VIA AN ATTENUATED PARASITE KILLS TICKS. VACCINATION OF CATTLE WITH THIS MODIFIED B. BOVIS STRAIN IS HYPOTHESIZED TO PROTECT CATTLE AGAINST DISEASE AND INTERRUPT TRANSMISSION BY KILLING TICKS. · GrantIndex