Vaccines against Toxoplasma gondii: challenges and opportunities
Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz
;
104(2): 252-266, Mar. 2009. tab
Article
in English
| LILACS
| ID: lil-533515
ABSTRACT
Development of vaccines against Toxoplasma gondii infection in humans is of high priority, given the high burden of disease in some areas of the world like South America, and the lack of effective drugs with few adverse effects. Rodent models have been used in research on vaccines against T. gondii over the past decades. However, regardless of the vaccine construct, the vaccines have not been able to induce protective immunity when the organism is challenged with T. gondii, either directly or via a vector. Only a few live, attenuated T. gondii strains used for immunization have been able to confer protective immunity, which is measured by a lack of tissue cysts after challenge. Furthermore, challenge with low virulence strains, especially strains with genotype II, will probably be insufficient to provide protection against the more virulent T. gondii strains, such as those with genotypes I or II, or those genotypes from South America not belonging to genotype I, II or III. Future studies should use animal models besides rodents, and challenges should be performed with at least one genotype II T. gondii and one of the more virulent genotypes. Endpoints like maternal-foetal transmission and prevention of eye disease are important in addition to the traditional endpoint of survival or reduction in numbers of brain cysts after challenge.
Full text:
Available
Index:
LILACS (Americas)
Main subject:
Toxoplasma
/
Toxoplasmosis
/
Protozoan Vaccines
Limits:
Animals
/
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz
Journal subject:
Tropical Medicine
/
Parasitology
Year:
2009
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Austria
/
Belgium
/
Denmark
/
Italy
/
United kingdom
Institution/Affiliation country:
Aarhus University Hospital-Skejby/DK
/
Medical University of Vienna/AT
/
Scientific Institute for Public Health/BE
/
Sigma-Tau Industrie Farmaceutiche Riunite/IT
/
University of Strathclyde/GB
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS