Trypanosomiasis vaccine

A Trypanosomiasis vaccine is a vaccine against trypanosomiasis. No effective vaccine currently exists, but development of a vaccine is the subject of current research. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been involved in funding research conducted by the Sabin Vaccine Institute and others.[1]

There are many obstacles to development of such a vaccine. One obstacle is variant surface glycoprotein which makes it difficult for the immune system to recognize the infectious organism.[2]

Also, Trypanosoma brucei has a direct inhibitory effect upon B cells.[3]

One strategy may involve a vaccine against the initial antigens.[4]

It has been suggested that it may be more productive to generate an immune response against the cysteine protease (for example, cruzipain), rather than the organism itself.[5][6]

There are two known subspecies that infect humans, Trypanosoma brucei gambiense and Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense.

See also

References
  1. "US Fraunhofer Center receives Grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-Intellectual Property". Retrieved 2009-01-15.
  2. Dagenais TR, Demick KP, Bangs JD, Forest KT, Paulnock DM, Mansfield JM (January 2009). "T-Cell Responses to the Trypanosome Variant Surface Glycoprotein Are Not Limited to Hypervariable Subregions". Infect. Immun. 77 (1): 141–51. doi:10.1128/IAI.00729-08. PMC 2612290. PMID 18936180.
  3. Radwanska M, Guirnalda P, De Trez C, Ryffel B, Black S, Magez S (May 2008). Riley EM (ed.). "Trypanosomiasis-Induced B Cell Apoptosis Results in Loss of Protective Anti-Parasite Antibody Responses and Abolishment of Vaccine-Induced Memory Responses". PLOS Pathog. 4 (5): e1000078. doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1000078. PMC 2386555. PMID 18516300.
  4. "Trypanosomiasis". Retrieved 2009-01-15.
  5. Lalmanach G, Boulangé A, Serveau C, et al. (May 2002). "Congopain from Trypanosoma congolense: drug target and vaccine candidate". Biol. Chem. 383 (5): 739–49. doi:10.1515/BC.2002.077. PMID 12108538.
  6. Authié E, Boulangé A, Muteti D, Lalmanach G, Gauthier F, Musoke AJ (November 2001). "Immunisation of cattle with cysteine proteinases of Trypanosoma congolense: targeting the disease rather than the parasite". Int. J. Parasitol. 31 (13): 1429–33. doi:10.1016/S0020-7519(01)00266-1. PMID 11595229.
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