Boophilus genus ticks are responsible for transferring some pathogens and reducing production factors in cattle. Tropomysin (TPM) protein has actin regulator activity and playing important role in immune and allergic reactions. The main goal is to determine different aspects of phylogenetic, similarity, homology, structure and allergenicity of TPM protein. In prior study, we identified TPM by using Mass-spectrometry in Boophilus anulatus larva proteins extraction. Analysis by NCBI and Mascot software showed complete similarity of this protein with Boophilus microplus. TPM Blasting, invertebrates TPM sequences retrieval, aligning and analyzing of conserved and variable regions along sequences were next steps. Also, construction the phylogenetic tree, overall mean distances estimation, homology protein secondary structure, allergencity analysis was achieved. The most similar sequences to Boophilus genus TPM are Haemaphysalis sp., Scolopendra sp. and etc., respectively. The multiple sequence alignment showed that conserved and variable regions stretched in different part of TPM. The close relationships in Phylogenetic tree between Ticks and Mites were seen, although the TPM sequences in ticks are more similar to each other than to mites and assume as the nearest relatives. Insects TPM like worms, located in two separated clades, and Trichinella spiralis in worm clades are more related taxa to members of ticks and mites groups. Furthermore, overall mean distances over sequence pairs reflects TPM conservation during speciation. TPM has high homology in different species and has two domain of α-helix that cannot form disulfide bonds. Finally, allergenicity analysis by separated and hybrid approach showed it undoubted is allergen and candidates some peptides as responsible for allergenicity of TPM. The comprehensive analysis of TPM has never been easy, especially when we attempt to make statements from different aspects about this protein. Our study revealed the some unique and valuable aspects of TPM protein of Boophilus genus, and will help to further studies on mentioned protein.

Background: Considering the importance of ticks as a main group transmitting pathogen organisms, this study designed to recognize immunogenic proteins in different tissues of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus tick and to find out if there are common proteins in these tissues.Methods: Seven cattle were experimentally infested with about 10000 R. annulatus larvae and their humoral immune response to extracts of salivary gland and ovary of adult ticks and larval extracts during infestation were determined by ELISA and Western blot analysis. Measurements of serum antibodies level recorded weekly, from week 0 to week 9.Results: Using Western blot analysis, 15 fractions from soluble antigens extracted from salivary gland and larvae, and 14 fractions in the larval extracts were recognized. These findings illustrate the recognition of common antigens with molecular weight of 170, 117, 100, 70, 37, 33 and 30 kDa from different antigens by resistant cattle sera.Conclusion: Common antigens are present in different tissues of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus, which can be used as a target in immunization against ticks.

Background: Ticks are blood feeder acarians that feed on variety of animals and introduce a wide variety of molecules to their host immune system and some of them may stimulate host immune system to produce antibodies. This study was carried out to detect humoral immune responses following Boophilus annulatus infestation.Methods: Seven cattle were each experimentally infested with 10000 B. annulatus larvae and their humoral immune response to salivary gland; ovary and larval extracts were determined by ELISA. Measurements of serum antibodies level were recorded weekly, in a period of nine weeks post infestation.Results: An increase of the antibody level was observed in all animals at one week post infestation and reached in a peak at week ninth, then decreased in week 9.Conclusion: Sera of infected animals showed approximately similar reactions to all of tissue extracts that might be due to the presence of common proteins in tick tissues and could be a candidate for immunization.

Background: Present investigation is based on the clinicopatho-biochemical alteration related to natural tick borne bovine babesiosis in Punjab state.Methods: Blood samples from jugular vein of 542 bovines (cattle 466 and buffaloes 76) having history of tick infestation, fever, hemoglobinurea or anemia were collected and tested for Babesia bigemina by blood smear examination and PCR targeting 18S rRNA gene to distinguish clinically and subclinically infected groups. Further the hemato-biochemical parameters were correlated with the status of infection.Results: Overall, of the 542 samples tested 16.42% were positive by PCR while only 1.66% by blood smear examination. The trend of molecular prevalence was found to decrease from north-eastern towards western Punjab. Analysis of the hematobiochemical alterations showed significant decrease in the levels of RBC, Hb, PCV, and MCV with significant increase in TBIL, MCH and MCHC levels.Conclusion: As the transmission of B. bigemina is transovarian, presence of even few infected Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus ticks on a subclinically infection can be the nidus of infection for whole herd, causing severe economic losses, at the same time significantly affecting the physiology of carrier animal.

Ticks harbor many pathogenic, as well as endosymbiotic and non-pathogenic agents. They are host of a variety of as yet unidentified microbes that continue to be described. In the present study, a Brucella-like bacterium was detected in a Boophilus tick by PCR amplification of a partial fragment of 16S rRNA locus followed sequencing. Our results show that the members of the genus Boophilus may act as vectors of brucellosis in nature, but further studies are required to confirm the real role of ticks as vector or reservoirs of specific Brucella species.

In the last decades researchers had focused on developing a vaccine against tick based on protective antigen. Recombinant vaccines based on concealed antigen from Boophilus microplus have been developed in Australia and Cuba by the name of TICKGARD and GAVAC (De La Fuente and Kocan, 2006). Further studies on this antigen have shown some extent of protection against other species (De Vos et al., 2001). In Iran most important species is Hyalomma anatolicum and limited information about its control are available. This paper reports structural and polymorphic analysis of HA03 as an Iranian candidate concealed antigen of H. a. anatolicum deposited in Gen-Bank. (Aghaeipour et al. GQ228820). The comparison between this antigen and other mid gut concealed antigen that their characteristics are available in GenBank showed there are high rate of similarity between them. The HA03 amino acid sequence had a homology of around 89%, 64%, 56% with HA98, BM86, BM95 respectively. Potential of MHC class I and II binding region indicated a considerable variation between BM86 antigen and its efficiency against Iranian H. a. anatolicum. In addition, predicted major of hydrophobisity and similarity in N-glycosylation besides large amount of cystein and seven EGF like regions presented in protein structure revealed that value of HA03 as a new protective antigen and the necessity of the development, BM86 homolog of H. a. anatolicum HA03 based recombinant vaccine.

Introduction: Regarding emerging tick resistance against acaricides, researches have been shifted toward alternative approaches such as immunologic methods. Vaccine preparation is an alternative way in which choosing appropriate protein with high immune induction potency is a prerequisite. In addition according to studies, using more than one protein could better enhance the immune induction and antibody production. Choosing immunogenic epitopes from selected proteins and adjoining them with a suitable linker is one of the novel approaches in vaccine design. Materials and methods: Based on the fact that both cathepsin and tropomyosin proteins of Rhipicephalus tick were previously recognized as potent immunogenic antigens, we predicted the immunogenic epitopes of these proteins by immunoinformatic methods. Among studied epitopes, those that were met by multiple bioinformatics tools were used. Results: Finally, the polytopic construction was designed by assembling the selected epitopes and connecting them with linkers. Conclusion: Using immunoinformatic tools, we predicted the characteristics of two genes of Rhipicephalus annulatus tick larva as fused potent vaccine candidates namely, cathepsin and tropomyosin.