Vaccination to Prevent
Disease Caused by Parelaphostrongylus tenuis
LA-13 Judith A. Appleton
Cornell University
9/1/01-8/31/04
Total first year cost of project $44,979; ARF donation $4250.
Note: The amount of $4250 was donated by Anthony Stachowski, DVM, Stachowski Alpacas, Phil Mizrahie, Pet Center, and Bill Coburn/Tom Hunt, Camelids of Delaware and earmarked for the support of this study. The funds represent 25% of the proceeds from the sale of a female alpaca at the 2002 AOBA auction.
Judith Appleton, PhD at Cornell University is attempting to develop a vaccine to prevent disease caused by meningeal worm. This is a risky research investment in the sense that she may not be successful. But similar to other risky investments it has the potential for a very high rate of return. Have you ever worried about meningeal worm breakthrough due to inaccurate timing or dosage of ivermectin? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we did not have to worry about producing ivermectin resistant strains of parasites? Now, through cloning techniques, it may be possible to produce sufficient quantities of antigenic material, suitable for use as a vaccine, starting from very tiny amounts of meningeal worm larva. If successful, the vaccine would work by preventing the meningeal worm larva from crossing the intestinal wall and entering the central nervous system. One neat thing about this proposal is that once a vaccine is produced, it can be tested in vitro by looking at the ability of antibodies to retard progress of the larva across artificial membranes. If it passes the first test the vaccine can be tested in guinea pigs, which, similar to alpacas, allow the transport of meningeal worm larva across the intestinal wall and into the central nervous system. The final test of the vaccine would of course have to be in alpacas.