Therapeutic targeting of the innate immune system in domestic animals

Since first being described in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, the knowledge regarding Toll-like receptors (TLRs) has transformed our understanding of immunology. TLRs are a family of conserved pattern recognition receptors (PRR) that recognise specific microbial-associated molecular patterns and allow the cell to distinguish between self and non-self materials. The very property of the TLRs, to link innate and adaptive immunity, offers a novel opportunity to develop vaccines that engage TLR signalling. The presence of TLR ligands as adjuvants in conjunction with a vaccine is shown to increase the efficacy and response to the immunisation with a particular antigen. Here, we focus on the findings pertaining to TLR ligands as adjuvants and discuss the importance of these studies in the development of an optimal vaccine in farm and companion animals.