The Bm86 Discovery: A Revolution in the Development of Anti-Tick Vaccines

The presence in nature of species with genetic resistance to ticks, or with acquired resistance after repeated tick infestations, has encouraged the scientific community to consider vaccination as an alternative to the unsustainable chemical control of ticks. After numerous attempts to artificially immunize hosts with tick extracts, the purification and characterization of the Bm86 antigen by Willadsen et al. in 1989 constituted a revolutionary step forward in the development of vaccines against ticks. Previously, innovative studies that had used tick gut extracts for the immunization of cattle against Rhipicepahalus microplus (previously named Boophilus microplus) ticks, with amazingly successful results, demonstrated the feasibility of using antigens other than salivary-gland-derived molecules to induce a strong anti-tick immunity. However, the practical application of an anti-tick vaccine required the isolation, identification, and purification of the responsible antigen, which was finally defined as the Bm86 protein. More than thirty years later, the only commercially available anti-tick vaccines are still based on this antigen, and all our current knowledge about the field application of immunological control based on vaccination against ticks has been obtained through the use of these vaccines.

Automated summary

The presence of species with genetic resistance or acquired resistance to ticks in nature has led to considering vaccination as an alternative to chemical control of ticks. The purification and characterization of the Bm86 antigen in 1989 was a significant development in tick vaccine research. Previous studies on cattle immunization against Rhipicepahalus microplus ticks using tick gut extracts showed successful results, demonstrating the feasibility of using antigens other than salivary-gland-derived molecules for anti-tick immunity. The practical application of an anti-tick vaccine required the isolation and identification of the Bm86 protein, which is still the basis for commercially available tick vaccines.