Cattle Natural immunity against the cattle tickBoophilus annulatus(Acari: Ixodidae): detection of antibodies against salivary gland and gut proteins using ELISA

Blood samples were taken from 50 cattle (5 Bos indicus, 5 crossbreeds between B. indicus and Bos taurus, and 40 B. taurus, Frizian strain). There was no Boophilus (B.) annulatus Say infestation on 5 B. indicus; moderate infestation on the crossbreeds and heavy infestation on B. taurus. Ticks collected from B. taurus were dissected to obtain salivary glands (S) and guts (G). The tick organs were processed for separation of proteins with 7% polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). Seven gut protein bands of molecular weights 2000, 1500, 500, 205, 150, 66, and 12 KDa were designated G1, G2, G3, G4, G5, G6, G7 and four salivary gland protein bands of molecular weights 205, 190, 150 and 97 KDa were designated S1, S2, S3, S4. All were used as tick antigens for the detection of antibodies by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). It was found that all 5 B. indicus and 5 crossbreeds had antibodies to all salivary gland proteins employed in the ELISA test. All B. taurus had antibodies to G1 and t...