• Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, P. R. China;
LIU Jie, Email: drliu@scu.edu.cn
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Echinococcosis is a zoonotic and parasitic disease caused by tapeworms of the genus Echinococcus. The most common forms of the disease are cystic echinococcosis (CE) and alveolar echinococcosis (AE), caused by Echinococcus granulosus and Echinococcus mutilocularis, respectively, and posing a serious health challenge and economic burden to human society. The most adapted treatment is surgical excision plus chemotherapy, although which mostly is effective, the traumatic damage from the invasive procedure and the adverse effects of the prolonged chemotherapy are profound. Conventional preventions include controlling the source of infection, improving the sanitation in livestock slaughter, strengthening surveillance, and increasing public health education. However, the outcome is limited by the complicity of the geographical nature, cultural background, and unique lifestyle. Vaccination is the most safe and cost-effective way to control infectious diseases. The partial success of recombinant Eg95 as a veterinary vaccine had established a theoretical foundation for the development of a human echinococcosis vaccine, which will shed a light on the prevention, control, and eventual elimination of the human infection. There are promising vaccine candidates in the research and development pipelines in the form of parasite tissue extract proteins, recombinant proteins, nucleic acids, synthetic antigenic epitopes, and vector vaccines. These candidates have shown potential to induce protective humoral and cellular immune responses that block the invasion, eradicate the worm at an early stage, or prevent the onset of infection. We reviewed the progress in the vaccine development and discussed the challenges and solutions in the research and development to facilitate the licensure of a vaccine against human echinococcosis.

Citation: GU Hanfei, MOU Jun, LIU Jie. Advances in research and development of echinococcosis vaccines. CHINESE JOURNAL OF BASES AND CLINICS IN GENERAL SURGERY, 2024, 31(10): 1170-1180. doi: 10.7507/1007-9424.202408103 Copy

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