Vaccination against the cat flea Ctenocephalides felis felis |
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Authors: | ANDREW W. HEATH ANN ARFSTEN MILES YAMANAKA MICHAEL W. DRYDEN BEVERLY DALE |
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Affiliation: | Paravax Inc. Mountain View, California 94043, USA;Department of Pathology and Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, USA |
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Abstract: | Non-chemical control of haematophagous parasites is a desirable goal. We report here on the use of concealed antigens from the major digestive organ of the cat-flea as vaccine components. Rabbits were immunized with various antigens from cat flea midguts, and immunoglobulin from these rabbits was fed to cat fleas in an artifical feeding system. Antibody produced against soluble antigens from the midguts of fed fleas was able to kill fleas in this system. Dogs were then immunized with various antigen preparations, and challenged for a week with live fleas. Significantly fewer live fleas were recovered from dogs immunized with fed midgut supernatant, and recovered live female fleas produced significantly fewer eggs. This study indicates the possibility of vaccination as a means of control of flea, and possibly other blood sucking insect populations. |
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Keywords: | Cat flea vaccine insect immunization |
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