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Strategic vaccination of hair sheep against Haemonchus contortus

  • Helminthology - Original Paper
  • Published:
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Abstract

In this study, we evaluated in two trials a protocol designed to protect hair sheep using Barbervax®, a vaccine containing Haemonchus contortus gut membrane glycoprotein antigens. Results indicated that naturally infected vaccinated sheep had significant egg count reductions (90.2 ± 4.03%) compared with controls, although blood parameters remained relatively unchanged probably because the level of challenge was low. Vaccination prevented the periparturient rise in egg shedding of ewes, as well as egg shedding in lambs (37.1%). In the second trial, sheep which were experimentally exposed to higher artificial challenge also showed an efficient response to the vaccine as confirmed by high antibody levels and reduced egg counts and worm burdens (87 ± 5.4% and 79%) respectively. Thus, we believe that the vaccine should be integrated with other management practices for meat hair sheep as it has the advantages of adequate efficacy, reducing anthelmintic utilization and avoiding milk and environmental contamination with chemical residues.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Dr. Alessandro Amarante for technical support.

Funding

The authors thank the FUNCAP, CNPq, EMBRAPA, and Moredun Research Institute for funding this study, and César C. Bassetto received financial support from São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), Grant #2015/00221-2.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Embrapa Caprinos e Ovinos, Fazenda Três Lagoas, Rodovia Sobral - Groaíras Km 04, Caixa Postal 145, Sobral, Ceará, 62010-970, Brazil

    Marcel Teixeira, Antônio Francisco Igor Magalhães Matos, Fernando Henrique M. A. Albuquerque & Jomar Patrício Monteiro

  2. Centro Universitário UNINTA, Sobral, Ceará, Brazil

    Marcel Teixeira, Antônio Francisco Igor Magalhães Matos & Jomar Patrício Monteiro

  3. Curso de Pós-Graduação em Zootecnia, Universidade Estadual Vale do Acarau, Sobral, Ceara, Brazil

    Marcel Teixeira & Jomar Patrício Monteiro

  4. Curso de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    Antônio Francisco Igor Magalhães Matos

  5. Universidade Estadual Júlio de Mesquita Filho, UNESP-Botucatu, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil

    Cesar Cristiano Bassetto

  6. Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Penicuik, Midlothian, Scotland

    William David Smith

Authors
  1. Marcel Teixeira
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  2. Antônio Francisco Igor Magalhães Matos
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  3. Fernando Henrique M. A. Albuquerque
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  4. Cesar Cristiano Bassetto
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  5. William David Smith
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  6. Jomar Patrício Monteiro
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Antônio Francisco Igor Magalhães Matos.

Ethics declarations

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee for the Use of Animals of the Universidade Estadual Vale do Acaraú (CEUA protocol number 029.12), and all of procedures were based on Resolution Number 1000 of the Federal Board of Veterinary Medicine (Brazil, 2012).

Conflict of interest

Dr. Smith is employed by Wormvax Australia which is a subsidiary of the Moredun Research Institute, a not for profit organization which manufactures and sells Barbervax®. He supplied the vaccine for the trial and advised on the trial designs, but was not involved in obtaining any of the results.

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Section Editor: Georg von Samson-Himmelstjerna

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Teixeira, M., Matos, A.F.I.M., Albuquerque, F.H.M.A. et al. Strategic vaccination of hair sheep against Haemonchus contortus. Parasitol Res 118, 2383–2388 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-019-06367-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-019-06367-x

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