THE IMMUNOCYTOCHEMICAL LOCALIZATION OF POTENTIAL CANDIDATE VACCINE ANTIGENS FROM THE SALMON LOUSE LEPEOPHTHEIRUS-SALMONIS (KROYER 1837)

Vaccination is potentially one of the most valuable methods of control against the caligid copepod Lepeophtheirus salmonis, the salmon louse , a major pathogen of farmed salmonids in the Northern hemisphere, A s earch for suitable potential antigens from this complex metazoan paras ite forms the basis of this study. Salmon louse homogenate was separat ed by column chromatography into specific fractions which were assayed for a range of enzyme activities. Fractions found to be associated wi th enzymic activity or peaks of UV absorbance were used to raise antis era in 44 Wistar rats. An immunocytochemical investigation of the midg ut of the adult louse using these specific antisera revealed immunosta ining of the lumenal and basal surfaces of the louse gut. It is sugges ted that the proteins in the chromatographic fractions may represent d igestive enzymes and/or structural or functional components of the sal mon louse gut