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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Pullman, Washington » Animal Disease Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #132601
Title: BABESIA BOVIS MEROZOITE SURFACE ANTIGEN 1 AND RHOPTRY-ASSOCIATED PROTEIN 1 ARE EXPRESSED IN SPOROZOITES, AND SPECIFIC ANTIBODIES INHIBIT SPOROZOITE ATTACHMENT TO ERYTHROCYTES

Author
item MOSQUEDA, JUAN - WASHINGTON STATE UNIV
item MC ELWAIN, TERRY - WASHINGTON STATE UNIV
item Stiller, David
item PALMER, GUY - WASHINGTON STATE UNIV

Submitted to: Infection and Immunity
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/3/2001
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: In many parts of the world, ticks transmit small, single-cell parasites(babesiae) to cattle. The parasites invade the animals' red blood cells and cause disease. In this investigation, when two different parasite proteins, thought to enable the parasite to invade cattle red blood cells, were exposed to antibodies to the proteins, the parasites were prevented from invading laboratory cultures of cattle red blood cells. The results indicate that development of an effective vaccine to prevent these tick-transmitted parasites from invading cattle red blood cells may be feasible.

Technical Abstract: Sporozoites of Babesia bovis were examined for the expression of merozoite surface antigen 1 (MSA-1) and rhoptry-associated protein 1 (RAP-1), two molecules postulated to be involved in the invasion of host erythrocytes. Both MSA-1 and RAP-1 were transcribed and expressed in infectious sporozoites. Monospecific MSA-1 and RAP-1 antisera each inhibited sporo-zoite invasion of erythrocytes in vitro. This is the first identification of antigens expressed in Babesia sp. sporozoites and establishes that, at least in part, sporozoites and merozoites share common targets of antibody mediated inhibition of erythrocyte invasion by the parasites.