Ixodes scapularis ticks transmit many pathogens that cause human disease, including Borrelia burgdorferi. Acquired resistance to I. scapularis due to repeated tick exposure has the potential to prevent tick-borne infectious diseases, and salivary proteins have been postulated to contribute to this process. We examined the ability of lipid nanoparticle–containing nucleoside-modified mRNAs encoding 19 I. scapularis salivary proteins (19ISP) to enhance the recognition of a tick bite and diminish I. scapularis engorgement on a host and thereby prevent B. burgdorferi infection. Guinea pigs were immunized with a 19ISP mRNA vaccine and subsequently challenged with I. scapularis. Animals administered 19ISP developed erythema at the bite site shortly after ticks began to attach, and these ticks fed poorly, marked by early detachment and decreased engorgement weights. 19ISP immunization also impeded B. burgdorferi transmission in the guinea pigs. The effective induction of local redness early after I. scapularis attachment and the inability of the ticks to take a normal blood meal suggest that 19ISP may be used either alone or in conjunction with traditional pathogen-based vaccines for the prevention of Lyme disease, and potentially other tick-borne infections.

中文翻译：

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mRNA 疫苗接种可诱导蜱抗性并防止莱姆病病原体的传播

肩突硬蜱蜱传播许多导致人类疾病的病原体，包括伯氏疏螺旋体。由于反复接触蜱而获得的对I. scapularis的抗性有可能预防蜱传传染病，并且唾液蛋白被假定有助于这一过程。我们检查了含有脂质纳米颗粒的核苷修饰 mRNA 编码 19 种肩胛疏螺旋体唾液蛋白 (19ISP)的能力，以增强对蜱虫叮咬的识别并减少宿主上的肩胛疏螺旋体充血，从而预防伯氏疏螺旋体感染。豚鼠用 19ISP mRNA 疫苗免疫，随后用I. scapularis攻击. 在蜱虫开始附着后不久，施用 19ISP 的动物在叮咬部位出现红斑，并且这些蜱虫进食不佳，其特征是早期脱离和充血重量下降。19ISP 免疫也阻碍了B. burgdorferi在豚鼠中的传播。I. scapularis附着后早期局部发红的有效诱导以及蜱无法正常吸血表明 19ISP 可单独使用或与传统的基于病原体的疫苗结合使用以预防莱姆病，并可能其他蜱传感染。