Molecular epidemiology network for promotion and support of delivery of live vaccines against Theileria parva and Theileria annulata infection in Eastern and Northern Africa

蜱传疾病，如泰勒虫病，在发展中世界热带和亚热带大部分地区流行，对资源贫乏的农业社区的生计影响很大。泰勒虫病（由小泰勒虫引起的东海岸热和由泰勒虫引起的热带泰勒虫病）。annulata）被认为是该疾病流行地区畜牧业发展的主要限制因素。目前，泰勒虫病和其他蜱传疾病的管理主要是通过使用杀螨剂控制蜱媒，尽管由于杀螨剂耐药性增加和食品安全问题，这是不可持续的。在许多国家，基于注射潜在致死剂量的子孢子和长效剂量的四环素的高效的“感染和治疗”活疫苗长期以来一直可用于控制东海岸热。然而，有人担心，通过这种疫苗接种将外来寄生虫引入一个地区可能会导致新的更具毒性的基因型。因此，尽管迫切需要接种疫苗，但苏丹等其他一些国家没有使用这种疫苗。对于T. annulata是一种活疫苗，基于接种通过体外培养传代减毒的受疟疾感染的白细胞，已用于控制，并在北非、中东和南亚使用，但尚未在东非、埃及和苏丹地区建立，该项目的目的将是从分子上描述该地区的寄生虫菌株，并确定T. parva和T. annulata适合于开发活疫苗。该项目将通过生产疫苗，转让特定疾病诊断、疾病监测、管理和控制所需的技术。

Tick-borne diseases, such as theileriosis, which are endemic in large parts of tropical and subtropical regions of the developing world, are ranked high in terms of their impact on the livelihood of resource poor farming communities. Theileriosis (East Coast fever caused by Theileria parva and tropical theileriosis caused by T. annulata) is considered a major constraint for development of livestock in regions where the disease is endemic. Currently, management of theileriosis and other tick-borne diseases is primarily through control of the tick vector using acaricides, although this is unsustainable due to increasing acaricide resistance and food safety concerns. A highly effective ‘infection and treatment’ live vaccine based on the injection of a potentially lethal dose of sporozoites together with a long acting dose of tetracycline has long been available for control of East coast fever in a number of countries. However, there are fears that the introduction of foreign parasites by this vaccination to a region might result in novel more virulent genotypes. Therefore, this vaccine was not applied in a number of other countries like the Sudan, although there is an urgent demand for vaccination. For T. annulata a live vaccine based on inoculation of schizont-infected leukocytes attenuated through passage in in vitro culture has been utilised for control and is deployed in North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, but has not been established in regions of East Africa, Egypt and Sudan, where the disease is also found. The aim of the project will be to molecularly characterize parasite strains in the regions and to identify strains of T. parva and T. annulata suitable for the development of live vaccines. The project will result in the transfer of technologies required for specific diagnosis of the diseases, disease surveillance, management and control by producing vaccines.