Recipient Organization
CORNELL UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
ITHACA,NY 14853
Performing Department
JAMES A. BAKER INSTITUTE FOR ANIMAL HEALTH
Non Technical Summary
P. tenuis, also known as meningeal worm, is a parasitic nematode. The definitive host is the white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus. Disease caused by P. tenuis is rarely seen in deer but severe neurologic disease is associated with infection in domestic and exotic ungulates such as sheep, goats, llamas, and fallow deer. The long-term goal of this research is to develop a vaccine against P. tenuis that would be used to protect small domestic and exotic ungulates.
Animal Health Component
25%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
75%
Applied
25%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
To identify and characterize the immunodominant protein or glycoprotein antigens of L3 and adult P. tenuis which would be candidate antigens for a vaccine or for a diagnostic test.
Project Methods
1. To prepare monoclonal antibodies against L3 and adult worms. Antibodies would be tested in Western blots/immunoprecipitation and immunohistochemistry to detect stage restriction and anatomic distribution of specific antigens. Antibodies that are found to bind to the surfaces or excretory/secretory (ES) products of the L3 would be selected for further study, as these antigens are considered excellent candidates for vaccine development. Antibodies specific for quantitatively dominant adult/pre-adult antigens would be logical choices for use in antigen detection based diagnostic tests. 2. Antibodies would be used to purify the antigens of interest by affinity chromatography. Purified antigens would be submitted for peptide sequencing. Searches of the protein sequence and motif databases may reveal homologies between the P. tenuis sequence(s) and other proteins of known function. Such homologies may enhance or diminish interest in the candidate antigen. Sequence
information also would be used to generate primers for PCR amplification of parasite mRNA in order to get complete sequences for analysis and ultimately for expression using rDNA methods (beyond the scope of this application). Recombinant proteins would be tested as vaccines.