The control of ticks through vaccination offers a sustainable alternative to the use of chemicals that cause contamination and the selection of resistant tick strains. However, only a limited number of anti-tick vaccines have reached commercial realization. In this sense, an antigen effective against different tick species is a desirable target for developing such vaccines. A peptide derived from the tick P0 protein (pP0) conjugated to a carrier protein has been demonstrated to be effective against the Rhipicephalus microplus, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, and Amblyomma mixtum tick species. The aim of this work was to assess the efficacy of this peptide when conjugated to the Bm86 protein against Dermacentor nitens and Ixodes ricinus ticks. An RNAi experiment using P0 dsRNA from I. ricinus showed a dramatic reduction in the feeding of injected female ticks on guinea pigs. In the follow-up vaccination experiments, rabbits were immunized with the pP0-Bm86 conjugate and challenged simultaneously with larvae, nymphs, and the adults of I. ricinus ticks. In the same way, horses were immunized with the pP0-Bm86 conjugate and challenged with D. nitens larva. The pP0-Bm86 conjugate showed efficacies of 63% and 55% against I. ricinus and D. nitens ticks, respectively. These results, combined with previous reports of efficacy for this conjugate, show the promising potential for its development as a broad-spectrum anti-tick vaccine.

Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology 31st Avenue and 190 Havana 10600 Cuba

Centro de Estudos de Vetores e Doenças Infeciosas Dr Francisco Cambournac Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge 2965 575 Águas de Moura Portugal

Global Health and Tropical Medicine GHTM Associate Laboratory in Translation and Innovation towards Global Health LA REAL Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical IHMT Universidade Nova de Lisboa UNL Rua da Junqueira 100 1349 008 Lisboa Portugal

Institute of Parasitology Biology Centre Czech Academy of Sciences 37005 České Budějovice Czech Republic

Instituto de Saúde Ambiental Faculdade de Medicina Universidade de Lisboa 1649 004 Lisboa Portugal

National Laboratory of Parasitology Avenue San Antonio Rincón Km 1 1 2 Artemisa 32500 Cuba

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