Vaccine against neospora a step closer

An effective vaccine against a parasite-borne disease called neosporosis may be a few steps closer to development, thanks to US scientists and cooperators.

Neosporosis, caused by the parasite Neospora caninum, affects cattle worldwide. Infected animals often abort their calves and develop other debilitating complications that can cost producers millions of dollars every year.

Animal scientist Wenbin Tuo and microbiologist Mark Jenkins work at the ARS Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory in Beltsville, Md. They collaborated with ARS Molecular Plant Pathology Laboratory molecular biologist Yan Zhao and National Institutes of Health researcher Daming Zhu to test a new neosporosis vaccine in a mouse model.

The team created the vaccine using the parasite's own proteins. One of these proteins, called Neospora caninum cyclophilin (NcCyP), regulates the response of the host immune system that limits the survival of the parasite in the host after infection. The other protein - called NcSRS2 - helps the parasite attach to and invade host cells.