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Immunity to internal parasitism
Veterinary Parasitology, 44 ( 1992 ) 163-167 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam
163
Book Reviews IMMUNITY TO INTERNAL PARASITISM
Immunity to Internal Parasitism, H.R.P. Miller (Editor), Scientific and Technical Review, Office International des Epizooties, 12 Rue de Prony, 75017 Paris. Rev. Sci. Tech. Off. Int. Epiz., 9(2): 291-595, 1990, paper bound, price US$ 26.00/FF155.00, ISSN 0253-1933. A multiauthored book, it contains 15 well documented chapters contributed by well-known specialists in various fields. Generally speaking, the emphasis is on the recent approaches towards diagnosis of and vaccination against some of the well-known and economically important parasitic diseases, mainly of animals, including the selective breeding of animals to control parasites. The introductory chapter, "Immunity to internal parasites" (pp. 301-313 ), sets out briefly though elegantly some of the recent concepts and intricacies of the host-parasite interaction. The roles of the lymphokines in modulating the host immune effector mechanisms and of the Major Histocompatibility Complex cell surface antigens in regulating the host's response to parasite invasion are described. This chapter is presented in three languages, English, French and Spanish, together covering some 44 pages and each preceded by a summary in the original language. At the end the same list of 52 references is repeated three times, which appears superfluous. The remaining 14 chapters are written in English, each preceded by an English summary and followed by summaries in French and Spanish. Three chapters are devoted to the tick-borne protozoan and rickettsial diseases. The chapter on "Immunodiagnosis of and immunoprophylaxis against the haemoparasites Babesia sp. and Anaplasma sp. in domesticated animals" (pp. 345-356) gives an update on the mechanism of immunity and immunodiagnosis, including some procedural details. Notions on immunoprophylaxis, using live attenuated or non-attenuated vaccines, as well as the nonliving culture derived and genetically engineered vaccines, are given. The chapter "Theileria annulata: control measures, diagnosis and the potential use of subunit vaccines" (pp. 387-403) reviews the knowledge on tropical theileriosis, its control measures and the mechanism of immunity. Prospects of diagnosis of the active disease are outlined. The mechanisms of parasite attenuation and the feasibility of a subunit vaccine, as a recombinant antigen, are discussed. In the chapter "Theileria parva: the nature of the immune response and its significance for immunoprophylaxis" (pp. 405-421 ), an up-
!64
BOOKREVIEWS
dated account on the parasite life-cycle, pathogenesis, mechanism of humoral and cell mediated response is presented. The role of parasite specific cytotoxic T-cells and MHC in the host's protective response is discussed. Some aspects of parasite strain specificity and the existing immunization procedures including the future prospects of a recombinant antigen as vaccine are described. The tsetse transmitted animal trypanosomiasis is dealt with in two chapters. The one, entitled "Trypanosomiasis in domestic animals: the problems of diagnosis" (pp. 357-367 ), reviews the current diagnostic methods, including DEAE anion exchange chromatography, and the serodiagnostic methods, based on the detection of the antibodies (IFAT, ELISA, CATT) and of the circulating antigens using McAb. The aspect of species specific diagnosis using DNA probes is not included. The other chapter, "Trypanotolerance in cattle and prospects for the control oftrypanosomiasis by selective breeding" (pp. 369-386), provides some background information on the control and prospects of vaccination. However, the main emphasis is placed on the African breeds of trypanotolerant cattle, N'Dama and West African Short Horn, with a view to exploiting this feature in a rationale bovine breeding programme in the endemic areas. The enteric and tissue cyst forming protozoan infections are covered in two chapters. In the "Enteric protozoa in ruminants: diagnosis and control of Cryptosporidium, the role of the immune response" (pp. 423-440), the lifecycle and mechanism of acquired immunity is reviewed. The role ofcolostral antibody in passive immunity and the kinetics of humoral response are illustrated and the diagnosis and control briefly discussed. The chapter "Immune responses against Toxoplasma and Sarcocystis infections in ruminants: diagnosis and prospects for vaccination" (pp. 441-462) reviews the life-cycle, pathogenesis and mechanisms of immunity. The pathological, immunohistochemical and serological approaches towards diagnosis and prospects of vaccination are discussed. Two chapters deal with the taeniid infections. The chapter "Cestode infections in animals: immunological diagnosis and vaccination" (pp. 463-487) evaluates critically the feasibility and the limitations of diagnostic procedures, mainly of taeniosis/echinococcosis in the definitive hosts and of cysticercosis/hydatidosis in the intermediate hosts. Newer concepts of serodiagnosis, inter alia, based on the detection of circulating antigen in cysticercosis and specific diagnosis of taeniid eggs with the use of McAb are mentioned. The prospects of development of a recombinant vaccine against cysticercosis/hydatidosis are highlighted. The chapter "Characterisation of taeniid cestodes by DNA analysis" (pp. 489-510) essentially addresses the issue of differentiation and identification of taeniids, Taenia spp. and Echinococcus spp., their strains and their eggs with the aid of DNA clones or the McAb. The methods of isolating DNA from the taeniids and approaches towards cloning
BOOK REVIEWS
165
genomic and mitochondrial DNA for strain characterisation and egg detection are described and some results illustrated. The prospects of DNA amplification by polymerase chain reaction are discussed. The chapter "Serodiagnosis of fasciolosis in ruminants" (pp. 511-518 ) examines the efficacy of various serological assays for the detection of antibodies in acute and chronic fascioliosis in cattle and sheep, mainly owing to Fasciola hepatica. The efficiency of somatic and the ES antigens or their fractions in the sensitivity and specificity of the assays is mentioned. It is concluded that most of these assays are reliable for seroepizootiological purposes and may be of limited value for the diagnosis of fascioliasis in individual animals infected naturally. A review on the current strategies for the diagnosis of trichinosis, its control through vaccination and on the mechanism of immunity is given in the chapter "Immunodiagnosis of nematode infections and prospects for vaccination, with special reference to Trichinella spiralis" (pp. 519-532). The value of various antigenic preparations in serological assays for the detection of antibodies is examined. Some notions on the detection of circulating antigen are given. Speciation of parasitic nematodes based on DNA analysis, with special reference to the genus Trichinella, is exhaustively dealt with in the chapter "DNA analysis in the diagnosis of infection and in the speciation of nematode parasites" (pp. 533-554). An update on the studies of cloned repetitive DNA elements and ribosomal RNA genes in resolving the problem of the systematics of the genus Trichinella is given and the feasibility of mitochondrial DNA and ribosomal DNA sequence analysis in the study of the phylogenetic evolution of nematodes discussed. The last two chapters focus on the control of nematodiasis in ruminants. In the chapter "Selective breeding for the control of nematodiasis in sheep" (pp. 555-576 ), the genetic variation in this host and their selection for resistance against gastro-intestinal nematodiasis is surveyed. Notions on the mechanism of resistance, the specificity of host responsiveness and the genetic markers of resistance are given. In the chapter "Strategies for vaccination against gastro-intestinal nematodes" (pp. 577-595), the complexities of immune effector mechanisms in relation to the age, genotype and the state of parturition and lactation of the host are analysed. Prospects of identification of host protective immunogens involved in the natural resistance and their production using recombinant DNA procedures are described. In a nutshell, this moderately priced book contains an enormous wealth of updated information on the diagnosis and control of parasitic diseases of domestic stock. It is recommended particularly for the tropical countries where the diseases covered in this book are rampant and constitute a menace of considerable magnitude and where financial constraints limit the accessibility to much of the published information. The editor and the authors deserve appreciation for their insight and for making this very commendable contri-
166
BOOK REVIEWS
bution. The book is intended for veterinarians, post-graduate students and researchers and, for that matter, all the professionals concerned with the control of parasitic diseases of livestock. V. K U M A R
Department of Veterinary Medicine Institute of Tropical Medicine B 2000 Antwerpen Belgium
EAST COAST F E V E R IN R H O D E S I A A N D T H E T R A N S V A A L
Science and Empire. East Coast fever in Rhodesia and the Transvaal, Paul F. Cranfield, Cambridge University Press, UK, 1991, 385 pp., £45/US$65, ISBN 0 521 39253. Professor Cranfield has chosen an intriguing disease and a pivotal episode in the colonisation of southern Africa as the subject of his book, the first veterinary topic to be included in the prestigious series entitled The Cambridge History of Medicine. He made an admirable choice, since East Coast fever remains one of the most alluring topics in veterinary medicine, not only because it is a major killer of cattle in Africa and thus a major constraint on the economic development of that great continent, but also because the causative protozoan, Theileria parva, thrives in the lymphocytes, the very cells produced by animals to overcome infectious diseases. Since the protozoan first transforms lymphocytes to lymphoblasts, proliferating in synchrony with them, and then causes failure of normal T lymphocyte function, an understanding of it may eventually guide research both on lymphatic leukaemia and on AIDS. East Coast fever was introduced into Rhodesia and the Transvaal as a direct result of the shipment of infected cattle from East Africa, where the disease had been endemic for a number of years, but had remained undistinguished by veterinary scientists there from the related tick-borne protozoan disease known as redwater. Redwater had been described from the southwestern USA in a classic study by Smith and Kilborne in 1893 and was well recognised by scientists in East Africa such as the great bacteriologist Robert Koch. At the turn of the century the colonists in Rhodesia and the Transvaal were reeling from the impact of a major epidemic of rinderpest in Rhodesia and the effects of the Boer War in South Africa. The advent of East Coast fever as a result of the arrival of the cattle at the port of Beira in Portuguese East Africa must have seemed like the final blow. The book describes the rapid
163
Book Reviews IMMUNITY TO INTERNAL PARASITISM
Immunity to Internal Parasitism, H.R.P. Miller (Editor), Scientific and Technical Review, Office International des Epizooties, 12 Rue de Prony, 75017 Paris. Rev. Sci. Tech. Off. Int. Epiz., 9(2): 291-595, 1990, paper bound, price US$ 26.00/FF155.00, ISSN 0253-1933. A multiauthored book, it contains 15 well documented chapters contributed by well-known specialists in various fields. Generally speaking, the emphasis is on the recent approaches towards diagnosis of and vaccination against some of the well-known and economically important parasitic diseases, mainly of animals, including the selective breeding of animals to control parasites. The introductory chapter, "Immunity to internal parasites" (pp. 301-313 ), sets out briefly though elegantly some of the recent concepts and intricacies of the host-parasite interaction. The roles of the lymphokines in modulating the host immune effector mechanisms and of the Major Histocompatibility Complex cell surface antigens in regulating the host's response to parasite invasion are described. This chapter is presented in three languages, English, French and Spanish, together covering some 44 pages and each preceded by a summary in the original language. At the end the same list of 52 references is repeated three times, which appears superfluous. The remaining 14 chapters are written in English, each preceded by an English summary and followed by summaries in French and Spanish. Three chapters are devoted to the tick-borne protozoan and rickettsial diseases. The chapter on "Immunodiagnosis of and immunoprophylaxis against the haemoparasites Babesia sp. and Anaplasma sp. in domesticated animals" (pp. 345-356) gives an update on the mechanism of immunity and immunodiagnosis, including some procedural details. Notions on immunoprophylaxis, using live attenuated or non-attenuated vaccines, as well as the nonliving culture derived and genetically engineered vaccines, are given. The chapter "Theileria annulata: control measures, diagnosis and the potential use of subunit vaccines" (pp. 387-403) reviews the knowledge on tropical theileriosis, its control measures and the mechanism of immunity. Prospects of diagnosis of the active disease are outlined. The mechanisms of parasite attenuation and the feasibility of a subunit vaccine, as a recombinant antigen, are discussed. In the chapter "Theileria parva: the nature of the immune response and its significance for immunoprophylaxis" (pp. 405-421 ), an up-
!64
BOOKREVIEWS
dated account on the parasite life-cycle, pathogenesis, mechanism of humoral and cell mediated response is presented. The role of parasite specific cytotoxic T-cells and MHC in the host's protective response is discussed. Some aspects of parasite strain specificity and the existing immunization procedures including the future prospects of a recombinant antigen as vaccine are described. The tsetse transmitted animal trypanosomiasis is dealt with in two chapters. The one, entitled "Trypanosomiasis in domestic animals: the problems of diagnosis" (pp. 357-367 ), reviews the current diagnostic methods, including DEAE anion exchange chromatography, and the serodiagnostic methods, based on the detection of the antibodies (IFAT, ELISA, CATT) and of the circulating antigens using McAb. The aspect of species specific diagnosis using DNA probes is not included. The other chapter, "Trypanotolerance in cattle and prospects for the control oftrypanosomiasis by selective breeding" (pp. 369-386), provides some background information on the control and prospects of vaccination. However, the main emphasis is placed on the African breeds of trypanotolerant cattle, N'Dama and West African Short Horn, with a view to exploiting this feature in a rationale bovine breeding programme in the endemic areas. The enteric and tissue cyst forming protozoan infections are covered in two chapters. In the "Enteric protozoa in ruminants: diagnosis and control of Cryptosporidium, the role of the immune response" (pp. 423-440), the lifecycle and mechanism of acquired immunity is reviewed. The role ofcolostral antibody in passive immunity and the kinetics of humoral response are illustrated and the diagnosis and control briefly discussed. The chapter "Immune responses against Toxoplasma and Sarcocystis infections in ruminants: diagnosis and prospects for vaccination" (pp. 441-462) reviews the life-cycle, pathogenesis and mechanisms of immunity. The pathological, immunohistochemical and serological approaches towards diagnosis and prospects of vaccination are discussed. Two chapters deal with the taeniid infections. The chapter "Cestode infections in animals: immunological diagnosis and vaccination" (pp. 463-487) evaluates critically the feasibility and the limitations of diagnostic procedures, mainly of taeniosis/echinococcosis in the definitive hosts and of cysticercosis/hydatidosis in the intermediate hosts. Newer concepts of serodiagnosis, inter alia, based on the detection of circulating antigen in cysticercosis and specific diagnosis of taeniid eggs with the use of McAb are mentioned. The prospects of development of a recombinant vaccine against cysticercosis/hydatidosis are highlighted. The chapter "Characterisation of taeniid cestodes by DNA analysis" (pp. 489-510) essentially addresses the issue of differentiation and identification of taeniids, Taenia spp. and Echinococcus spp., their strains and their eggs with the aid of DNA clones or the McAb. The methods of isolating DNA from the taeniids and approaches towards cloning
BOOK REVIEWS
165
genomic and mitochondrial DNA for strain characterisation and egg detection are described and some results illustrated. The prospects of DNA amplification by polymerase chain reaction are discussed. The chapter "Serodiagnosis of fasciolosis in ruminants" (pp. 511-518 ) examines the efficacy of various serological assays for the detection of antibodies in acute and chronic fascioliosis in cattle and sheep, mainly owing to Fasciola hepatica. The efficiency of somatic and the ES antigens or their fractions in the sensitivity and specificity of the assays is mentioned. It is concluded that most of these assays are reliable for seroepizootiological purposes and may be of limited value for the diagnosis of fascioliasis in individual animals infected naturally. A review on the current strategies for the diagnosis of trichinosis, its control through vaccination and on the mechanism of immunity is given in the chapter "Immunodiagnosis of nematode infections and prospects for vaccination, with special reference to Trichinella spiralis" (pp. 519-532). The value of various antigenic preparations in serological assays for the detection of antibodies is examined. Some notions on the detection of circulating antigen are given. Speciation of parasitic nematodes based on DNA analysis, with special reference to the genus Trichinella, is exhaustively dealt with in the chapter "DNA analysis in the diagnosis of infection and in the speciation of nematode parasites" (pp. 533-554). An update on the studies of cloned repetitive DNA elements and ribosomal RNA genes in resolving the problem of the systematics of the genus Trichinella is given and the feasibility of mitochondrial DNA and ribosomal DNA sequence analysis in the study of the phylogenetic evolution of nematodes discussed. The last two chapters focus on the control of nematodiasis in ruminants. In the chapter "Selective breeding for the control of nematodiasis in sheep" (pp. 555-576 ), the genetic variation in this host and their selection for resistance against gastro-intestinal nematodiasis is surveyed. Notions on the mechanism of resistance, the specificity of host responsiveness and the genetic markers of resistance are given. In the chapter "Strategies for vaccination against gastro-intestinal nematodes" (pp. 577-595), the complexities of immune effector mechanisms in relation to the age, genotype and the state of parturition and lactation of the host are analysed. Prospects of identification of host protective immunogens involved in the natural resistance and their production using recombinant DNA procedures are described. In a nutshell, this moderately priced book contains an enormous wealth of updated information on the diagnosis and control of parasitic diseases of domestic stock. It is recommended particularly for the tropical countries where the diseases covered in this book are rampant and constitute a menace of considerable magnitude and where financial constraints limit the accessibility to much of the published information. The editor and the authors deserve appreciation for their insight and for making this very commendable contri-
166
BOOK REVIEWS
bution. The book is intended for veterinarians, post-graduate students and researchers and, for that matter, all the professionals concerned with the control of parasitic diseases of livestock. V. K U M A R
Department of Veterinary Medicine Institute of Tropical Medicine B 2000 Antwerpen Belgium
EAST COAST F E V E R IN R H O D E S I A A N D T H E T R A N S V A A L
Science and Empire. East Coast fever in Rhodesia and the Transvaal, Paul F. Cranfield, Cambridge University Press, UK, 1991, 385 pp., £45/US$65, ISBN 0 521 39253. Professor Cranfield has chosen an intriguing disease and a pivotal episode in the colonisation of southern Africa as the subject of his book, the first veterinary topic to be included in the prestigious series entitled The Cambridge History of Medicine. He made an admirable choice, since East Coast fever remains one of the most alluring topics in veterinary medicine, not only because it is a major killer of cattle in Africa and thus a major constraint on the economic development of that great continent, but also because the causative protozoan, Theileria parva, thrives in the lymphocytes, the very cells produced by animals to overcome infectious diseases. Since the protozoan first transforms lymphocytes to lymphoblasts, proliferating in synchrony with them, and then causes failure of normal T lymphocyte function, an understanding of it may eventually guide research both on lymphatic leukaemia and on AIDS. East Coast fever was introduced into Rhodesia and the Transvaal as a direct result of the shipment of infected cattle from East Africa, where the disease had been endemic for a number of years, but had remained undistinguished by veterinary scientists there from the related tick-borne protozoan disease known as redwater. Redwater had been described from the southwestern USA in a classic study by Smith and Kilborne in 1893 and was well recognised by scientists in East Africa such as the great bacteriologist Robert Koch. At the turn of the century the colonists in Rhodesia and the Transvaal were reeling from the impact of a major epidemic of rinderpest in Rhodesia and the effects of the Boer War in South Africa. The advent of East Coast fever as a result of the arrival of the cattle at the port of Beira in Portuguese East Africa must have seemed like the final blow. The book describes the rapid