Vaccine containing a protein complex form Haemonchus contortus

摘要

A protein complex H45 is described whose components are glycoproteins isolable from the intestinal microvillus plasma membrane of a parasitic nematode, such as Haemonchus contortus. This complex includes protein H4. 5, which has an apparent molecular weight on sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) of about 45 Kd under reducing conditions and about 90 Kd under non-reducing conditions, as well as proteins H4.9 and H5.3 which have apparent molecular weights on SDS-PAGE of about 49 Kd and about 53 Kd respectively both under reducing and under non reducing conditions. Protein complex H45 and its components can be used, optionally together with the already known protein doublet H110D, to form a vaccine which can reduce the weight of worms in sheep infected with Haemonchus contortus by an average of 91% and the parasite egg production by an average of 94.5%.