Uganda develops vaccine to fight ticks in Afric.I
n order to control ticks that infestation cattle,Uganda in collaboration between Uganda’s National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) and a group at the Health and Biotechnology (SaBio), Institute for Game and Wildlife Research (IREC, CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Spain, headed by Prof. Jose de la Fuente have developed a vaccine to fight ticks in Africa.
Anti-tick vaccines are designed to induce a protective response in vaccinated animal hostssuch as cattle.
When ticks suck blood from vaccinated cattle their body functions are impaired leading death of many ticks, hence resulting reduced tick populations over time.
During the last 10 years, this collaboration has resulted in the development of vaccines specifically targeting ticks that infest cattle in Uganda (brown ear tick (Rhipicephalus appendiculatus) locally known as Engoha, African blue tick (Rhipicephalus decoloratus), locally known as entujo and tropical bont tick(Amblyomma variegatum) locally known as Embarabara.
The vaccines have been derived from a protein called Subolesin which was extracted from native tick species.
Ticks infest cattle negatively impacting health, productivity and development of the dairy and beef industry resulting into huge economic losses,especially in sub-Saharan Africa.
Annually, the total global costs linked to ticks and tickvectored pathogens in cattle range between US$ 13.9 billion and US$ 18.7 billion.
In Uganda studies have estimated that losses of over USD 1.1 billion occur annually due to ticks andtick-borne diseases including East Coast fever (amashuyo amakebe), babesiosis (redwater),anaplasmosis (kashanku) and cowdriosis (kamunguluze).
At farm level, 80% of the total annual expenses incurred in management all cattle diseases are associated with controllingtick-borne diseases.
Frank Mugabi the spokesperson at the National Agricultural Research Organisation says the breakthrough is to save farmers from making such losses.
