Vaccines are an environmentally friendly alternative to acaracides for the control of
tick infestations, to reduce the risk for
tick-borne diseases affecting human and animal health worldwide, and to improve animal welfare and production. Subolesin (SUB, also known as 4D8) is the functional homolog of Akirin2 involved in the regulation of development and innate immune response, and a proven protective
antigen for the control of ectoparasite infestations and pathogen
infection. Oral vaccination combining
protein antigens with
immunostimulants has proven efficacy with increased host welfare and safety, but has not been used for the control of
tick infestations. Here we describe the efficacy of oral vaccination with a formulation combining Rhipicephalus microplus SUB and heat inactivated Mycobacterium bovis (IV) on cattle
tick infestations and fertility. The levels of
IgG antibody titers against SUB and M. bovis P22, and the expression of selected immune response genes were determined and analyzed as possible correlates of protection. We demonstrated that oral immunization with the SUB+IV formulation resulted in 51% reduction in the number of female ticks and 30% reduction in fertility with an overall efficacy of 65% in the control of R. microplus infestations by considering the cumulative effect on reducing tick survival and fertility in cattle. The akr2, IL-1β, and C3
mRNA levels together with antibody levels against SUB correlated with
vaccine efficacy. The effect of the oral immunization with SUB+IV in cattle on tick survival and fertility is essential to reduce
tick infestations, and extended previous results on the effect of R. microplus SUB for the control of cattle
tick infestations. These results support the development of oral
vaccines formulations for the control of
tick infestations and the incidence of
tick-borne diseases.