A comparative genomics and immunoinformatics approach to identify epitope-based peptide vaccine candidates against bovine hemoplasmosis

Mycoplasma wenyonii and ‘ Candidatus Mycoplasma haemobos’ have been described as major hemoplasmas that infect cattle worldwide. Currently, three bovine hemoplasma genomes are known. The aim of this work was to know the main genomic characteristics and the evolutionary relationships between hemoplasmas, as well as to provide a list of epitopes identified by immunoinformatics that could be used as vaccine candidates against bovine hemoplasmosis. So far, there is not a vaccine to prevent this disease that impact economically in cattle production around the world. In this work, we used comparative genomics to analyze the genomes of the hemoplasmas so far reported. As a result, we confirm that ‘ Ca . M haemobos’ INIFAP01 is a divergent species from M. wenyonii INIFAP02 and M. wenyonii Massachusetts. Although both strains of M. wenyonii have genomes with similar characteristics (length, G+C content, tRNAs and position of rRNAs) they have different structures (alignment coverage and identity of 51.58 and 79.37%, respectively). The correct genomic characterization of bovine hemoplasmas, never studied before, will allow to develop better molecular detection methods, to understand the possible pathogenic mechanisms of these bacteria and to identify epitopes sequences that could be used in the vaccine design.