Review
Vaccination Against Cysticercosis and Hydatid Disease

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Abstract

Infections with the larval stages of taeniid cestode parasites cause substantial human morbidity as well as economic losses in domestic livestock species. Despite ongoing efforts around the world, few countries have been able substantially to reduce or eradicate these infections through the use of anthelmintics and lifestyle changes. Vaccines offer an additional potential tool to assist with the control of parasite transmission. Here, Marshall Lightowlers and colleagues review the substantial progress that has been made towards developing practical vaccines against hydatid disease in sheep and cysticercosis in sheep and cattle. Recombinant antigens have been used to induce more than 90% protection against challenge infections. Such success in animals encourages investigation of the potential use of vaccines in humans to prevent hydatid disease arising from infection with Echinococcus granulosus and cysticercosis from infection with Taenia solium.

Section snippets

Existing measures for parasite control

General improvement in the economic situation of countries or regions is likely to lead to decreased transmission of both cystic hydatid disease and cysticercosis. Improvements in public education about sanitation and the availability and use of prepared dog foods impact on transmission of hydatid disease. Similarly, improvements in public health education and sanitation, the provision of latrines and the industrialization of pig raising decrease transmission of T. solium. Such measures, not

The need for vaccines

Numerous countries have had active control programmes for hydatid disease for many years, based on public education and dog control. However, few control programmes have had a major impact on disease transmission. It is difficult to change people's behaviour even in affluent, well-educated populations. In dogs, little or no immunity develops to E. granulosus, and so to ensure that E. granulosus transmission cannot occur, dogs need to be treated with anthelmintic drugs, such as praziquantel,

Vaccination against hydatid disease

Osborn and Heath13 showed that sheep could be vaccinated against infection with E. granulosus by immunization with non-living antigens obtained from the parasite oncosphere. Recombinant DNA methods provided the necessary tools for these antigens to be produced on a scale suitable for practical application. Oncosphere RNA was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli and the product of one clone, designated EG95, was found to induce host-protective immunity in sheep14. Subsequent vaccine trials

Vaccination against cysticercosis

Most progress has been made with vaccination against cysticercosis caused by T. ovis in sheep and T. saginata in cattle. Native oncosphere antigens were identified as a source of host-protective antigens16, 17. Specific host-protective molecules were identified for T. ovis and recombinant DNA techniques were used successfully to clone and express the genes encoding three different antigens, each of which was able to induce almost complete immunity against experimental challenge infection in

Protective oncosphere antigens contain a fibronectin sequence motif

DNA sequence comparisons between the clones that produce the various protective recombinant antigens of T. ovis, T. saginata and E. granulosus do not identify all antigens as having significant homology. However, analysis of the predicted amino acid sequence has revealed the presence of a conserved motif as part of all the host-protective recombinant antigens described to date (Fig. 1). This relationship exists despite the antigenic clones having been isolated independently and their having no

Future challenges

The focus of this review has been on the potential for control of the zoonotic infections, cysticercosis and hydatid disease, by vaccination of livestock animals. The benefits to human morbidity and mortality of such an approach are indirect. A more direct approach would be to use protective vaccines against cysticercosis and hydatid disease in humans. Viewed from this perspective, the vaccination trials that have been so successful against hydatid disease in sheep can be regarded as a model

Acknowledgements

Financial support is acknowledged from the National Health and Medical Research Council; Meat Research Corporation; Melbourne Water; European Community; International Development Research Centre, Ottawa; National Council for Science and Technology, México; and Programa de Control de la Hydatidosis, Chubut, Argentina.

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