A study conducted by researchers from the Institute of Biomedical Sciences at USP (ICB-USP) and published in the journal Parasites & Vectors demonstrated the possibility of “silence the gene expression of the main protein that inhibits apoptosis [morte programada das células] in the star tick”, transmitter of Rocky Mountain spotted fever. With the methodology, the growth of bacteria is reduced and the arachnid becomes more resistant to infection. The research builds on previous studies that showed that the bacterium Rickettsia rickettsii inhibits apoptosis by favoring tick growth, giving the bacteria more time to proliferate and infect new cells. According to the professor at the Department of Parasitology at ICB-USP and coordinator of the study, Andrea Cristina Fogaça, the diet of the ticks was reproduced in the laboratory, with blood from rabbits infected and not infected by Rickettsia rickettsii and, regardless of the infection, the parasites died when feeding, which indicated the possibility not only of blocking the infection but also of containing and decreasing the population in the hosts. “What my research group studies are the interactions that take place between the tick and the bacteria that causes this disease. Our objective with the research was to understand which are the interactions and molecules that are important for the interaction between the bacterium and the vector, because we want to identify some potential targets for the development of vaccines, both to reduce the tick population and to blocking the transmission of the bacteria”, explained the researcher. There is still no forecast for the production of a vaccine against spotted fever, because new studies will be conducted in this direction. “We do not have the prospect of an available vaccine on the near horizon. And if we do, and when we do, we will achieve a reduction in the tick population. I believe that this protein will also lead to the protection of animals that are used by the tick for food, such as horses, and we will have a reduction in the population of ticks that transmit the bacteria, “she said. The next steps in the research are to confirm that blood feeding is indeed the factor that promotes apoptosis through the production of reactive oxygen species and, possibly, to expand the experiments to other tick species. The research was conducted with the support of the State of São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP).
Agência Brasil
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