Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Department of
ORCID IDs
Reginaldo G. Bastos https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1457-2160
Heba F. Alzan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0260-7813
Odir A. Dellagostin https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2803-4088
Carlos E. Suarez https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6112-2931
Document Type
Article
Date of this Version
1-14-2022
Citation
Bastos, R.G.; Alzan, H.F.; Rathinasamy, V.A.; Cooke, B.M.; Dellagostin, O.A.; Barletta, R.G.; Suarez, C.E. Harnessing Mycobacterium bovis BCG Trained Immunity to Control Human and Bovine Babesiosis. Vaccines 2022, 10, 123. https://doi.org/10.3390/ vaccines10010123
Abstract
Babesiosis is a disease caused by tickborne hemoprotozoan apicomplexan parasites of the genus Babesia that negatively impacts public health and food security worldwide. Development of effective and sustainable vaccines against babesiosis is currently hindered in part by the absence of definitive host correlates of protection. Despite that, studies in Babesia microti and Babesia bovis, major causative agents of human and bovine babesiosis, respectively, suggest that early activation of innate immune responses is crucial for vertebrates to survive acute infection. Trained immunity (TI) is defined as the development of memory in vertebrate innate immune cells, allowing more efficient responses to subsequent specific and non-specific challenges. Considering that Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), a widely used anti-tuberculosis attenuated vaccine, induces strong TI pro-inflammatory responses, we hypothesize that BCG TI may protect vertebrates against acute babesiosis. This premise is supported by early investigations demonstrating that BCG inoculation protects mice against experimental B. microti infection and recent observations that BCG vaccination decreases the severity of malaria in children infected with Plasmodium falciparum, a Babesia-related parasite. We also discuss the potential use of TI in conjunction with recombinant BCG vaccines expressing Babesia immunogens. In conclusion, by concentrating on human and bovine babesiosis, herein we intend to raise awareness of BCG TI as a strategy to efficiently control Babesia infection.
Included in
Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology Commons, Cell and Developmental Biology Commons, Immunology and Infectious Disease Commons, Medical Sciences Commons, Veterinary Microbiology and Immunobiology Commons, Veterinary Pathology and Pathobiology Commons
Comments
© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).