CHARACTERIZATION OF IMMUNOGENIC COMPONENTS OF HYALOMMA-ANATOLICUM-ANATOLICUM - THE VECTOR TICK OF BOVINE TROPICAL THEILERIOSIS

Native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and immunoblotting as says were used to characterize the immunogenic proteins of salivary gl and extract (SGE) and saliva of Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum tick. N ative PAGE of the SGE revealed 10 proteins of molecular weights 56, 60 , 64, 66, 120, 148, 220, 264, 300 and >300 kDa. In the immunoblot assa y of the tick SGE, mice hyperimmune serum reacted with only one protei n of 66 kDa. In contrast to the SGE, the tick saliva revealed only 2 p roteins of 264 and 66 kDa. The 66 kDa protein was also observed in the tick larvae extract. These results suggest that the 66 kDa tick antig en may be one of the likely proteins of relevance to anti-tick immunit y and subunit vaccine development for H. anatolicum anatolicum.