Development of a schistosomiasis vaccine

ABSTRACT

Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) of public health importance. Despite decades of implementation of mass praziquantel therapy programs and other control measures, schistosomiasis has not been contained and continues to spread to new geographic areas. A schistosomiasis vaccine could play an important role as part of a multifaceted control approach. With regards to vaccine development, many biological bottlenecks still exist: the lack of reliable surrogates of protection in humans; immune interactions in co-infections with other diseases in endemic areas; the potential risk of IgE responses to antigens in endemic populations; and paucity of appropriate vaccine efficacy studies in nonhuman primate models. Research is also needed on the role of modern adjuvants targeting specific parts of the innate immune system to tailor a potent and protective immune response for lead schistosome vaccine candidates with the long-term aim to achieve curative worm reduction. This review summarizes the current status of schistosomiasis vaccine development.

KEYWORDS:

• Schistosomiasis
• vaccine
• Schistosoma mansoni
• Schistosoma haematobium
• Schistosoma japonicum
• protective immunity
• neglected tropical disease (NTD)

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This work was supported by grants from a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant (OPP1097535) to AA Siddiqui and from the NIAID/NIH SBIR (1R43AI103983) to D Carter and AA Siddiqui. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Notes

1. Neglected Tropical Diseases: Defining Opportunities to Accelerate Translational Research (March 9–11, 2011) and Schistosomiasis Vaccine Meeting (November 13, 2013), NIAID/NIH, Bethesda, MD.

2. Schistosomiasis Elimination Strategy and Potential Role of Vaccine in Achieving Global Health Goals Meeting, NIAID/NIH and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, WA (March 12–13, 2013).