a major obstacle to the improvement of livestock industry in Eastern,
Central and Southern Africa [3,4]. The prevalence of ECF among
indigenous and crossbred cattle in Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya and
Uganda have been reported to be 41.4%, 27–100%, 23.4% and 7–65%,
respectively [5–8]. T. parva is acquired by immature ticks during
blood feeding, and the transmission is strictly trans-stadial as the
parasite is transmitted only by the nymphal and adult tick stages.
Therefore, efficacious control of tick population in the field is the
most important method to reduce the distribution of ECF.
At present, the control of ticks is mainly dependent on the use of
acaricides. However, acaricides have many disadvantages such as
cost, chemical contamination of food and environment, and rapid
development of acaricides resistance [9,10]. In the case of ECF,
there is a method of immunization with cryo-preserved sporozoites
and simultaneous treatment with long-acting tetracycline
[11]. However, it is likely that the resulting carrier cattle after the
immunization could act as the main reservoirs of T. parva [12–14].
Thus, improved methodology for the control of ticks and TBDs is
essential. A recent development of a generic approach for the control
of ticks is the use of the anti-tick vaccine, which is designed
to protect host animal from tick infestation [15–17]. So far, a large
number of antigens have been reported and investigated for their
effect against ticks. Immunization with tick-derived proteins (e.g.
structural proteins, proteases and their inhibitors and modulators
of the immune response) actually inhibits tick physiology of