SBIR Phase I:Development of an Attenuated Babesia Vaccine for Cattle

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is designed to develop a vaccine to prevent infection of dairy and beef cattle with Babesia organisms following bites of vector Boophilus ticks. There is currently no killed vaccine that prevents initial infection with Babesia organisms when cattle are bitten by Babesia-carrying ticks, nor reduce levels of infection with Babesiais is being used. We will determine the best source of B. bigemina or B. bovis sporozoites, the optimal dose of irradiation with which to attenuate the sporozoites, the best method of preserving the sporozoites prior to inoculation into cattle, and the antibody response of cattle to different doses of attenuated sporozoites. These studies will establish the feasibility of producing sufficient numbers of attenuated Babesia sporozoites to immunize the cattle in those areas of the island of Puerto Rico that are endemic for babesiosis. The numbers of infected ticks needed to produce a defined number of vaccine doses will be established, and the level of antibody produced by a known number of Babesia organisms will be determined. This will provide the framework with which to scale up production of attenuated sporozoites in sufficient numbers to treat infected cattle on a national scale.
The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will be the production of a vaccine that can be used to treat cattle in regions of the US and the world where babesiosis is found. At least eight counties in Texas are under surveillance for tick transmission of Babesia, and more than $10 million of annual losses result from the disease in Puerto Rico alone. A cost-effective Babesia vaccine is expected to be in high demand in these areas, and would allow for the further commercial development of the dairy and beef cattle industries that is currently prevented by this disease.