Scientists at the Royal Veterinary College have identified four possible vaccine candidates that target red mite DNA.
If even one of the vaccines are successful against the parasites, it could reduce the number of eggs discarded due to blood spots and improve both bird and worker welfare.
The feed-through vaccine candidates would pass antibodies to the mites when they bite the immunized chickens, killing the parasites.
A problem for egg farms
More than 80% of European poultry farms are infested with poultry red mites, according to estimates from Wagengen University & Research. Infestations are more likely in cage-free environments.
During heavy infestations, the parasites crawl out of poultry houses and onto the egg conveyer belt. Here, they are crushed as eggs roll around, resulting in blood spots. Eggs with any sort of blood-spotting cannot be sold and are therefore discarded, costing farmers money.
Birds exposed to red mites display increased feather-pecking, restlessness, irritation and even aggression towards other chickens. In humans, red mites can cause itchiness and dermatitis.
Understanding the population genetics of red mites
A major part of the research involves understanding how the DNA of red mites differs from location to location. To understand this, Karp-Tatham performs DNA extraction of individual red mites. Information about the red mite genome – which was sequenced in April of this year – is limited.
Learning the differences between red mite populations could ultimately lead to a vaccine for controlling and preventing future infestations.
“Without knowledge of genetic diversity, it's actually quite hard to come up with novel control methods,” Eleanor Karp-Tatham, a parasitologist and final-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences at the Royal Veterinary College, said. “The idea really is to try to use the genotyping panel to kind of understand across Europe how well how targeted approach you would need.”
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