Analysis of Immune Response in Goats Capra hircus lehri Against Different Doses of Cement Cone Extract Antigen Taken from Ticks (Ixodidae) Emulsified with Different Adjuvants.

Immunological studies against ixodid ticks, Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum (Linnaeus, 1758) were conducted on six-month old domestic goat breed Capra hircus lehri, randomly selected from different farms of districts of Balochistan, Pakistan. Goats were allocated into four groups of twenty animals each for immunization experiments. Each group was used to assess the effect of immunization against ticks Hyalomma a. anatolicum by using extracts of attachment cones made up of cement proteins taken from mouthparts of tick whole instars as source of antigen. Effects of different antigen doses emulsified with different adjuvants were analyzed in four groups, each cohort comprising twenty goats. First group was immunized with alum adjuvant, second with Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA), third with Incomplete Freund's adjuvant (IFA) and fourth with Montanide ISA-50 (Incomplete Seppic) adjuvant. Goats administered with different doses (5-500 µg) of tick cement antigen emulsified with Montanide adjuvant showed effective immune response through reduction in tick engorgement (decreased weight) and increased percentage tick rejection which proved that Montanide adjuvant is the most potent adjuvant. Results also showed that lower doses of tick cement antigen (5 µg of antigen/ml of adjuvant/animal) emulsified with Montanide ISA-50 adjuvant induced a better stimulatory effect on percentage tick rejection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]