A Schistosomiasis vaccine is a vaccine against
Schistosomiasis (also known as bilharzia, bilharziosis or snail fever), a
parasitic disease caused by several species of
fluke of the genus Schistosoma. No effective vaccine for the disease exists yet. Schistosomiasis affects over 200 million people worldwide, mainly in rural agricultural and peri-urban areas of the
third world, and approximately 10% suffer severe health complications from the infection.[1] While chemotherapeutic drugs, such as
praziquantel,
oxamniquine and
metrifonate both no longer on the market, are currently considered safe and effective for the treatment of schistosomiasis, reinfection occurs frequently following drug treatment, thus a vaccine is sought to provide long-term treatment.[1][2] Additionally, experimental vaccination efforts have been successful in
animal models of schistosomiasis.[1]
At present Sm-p80 (calpain) is the sole schistosome vaccine candidate that has been tested for its prophylactic and antifecundity efficacy in different vaccine formulations and approaches (e.g., DNA alone, recombinant protein and prime boost) in two very different experimental animal models (mouse and baboon) of infection and disease. Sm-p80-based vaccine formulation(s) have four effects: Reduction in adult worm numbers; Reduction in egg production (complete elimination of egg induced pathology both in baboons and mice); Protection against acute schistosomiasis; Therapeutic effect on adult worms. This vaccine is now ready for human clinical trials.[5][6][7]
^Tendler M, Simpson AJ (2008). "The biotechnology-value chain: development of Sm14 as a schistosomiasis vaccine". Acta Tropica. 108 (2–3): 263–6.
doi:
10.1016/j.actatropica.2008.09.002.
PMID18834847.
Clinical trial number NCT00870649 for "Efficacy of Vaccine Sh28GST in Association With Praziquantel (PZQ) for Prevention of Clinical Recurrences of Schistosoma Haematobium Pathology (Bilhvax)" at
ClinicalTrials.gov