ASchistosomiasis vaccine is a vaccine againstSchistosomiasis (also known asbilharzia,bilharziosis orsnail fever), aparasitic disease caused by several species offluke of the genusSchistosoma. No effective vaccine for the disease exists yet. Schistosomiasis affects over 200 million people worldwide, mainly in rural agricultural and peri-urban areas of thethird world, and approximately 10% suffer severe health complications from the infection.[1] While chemotherapeutic drugs, such aspraziquantel,oxamniquine andmetrifonate 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 inanimal 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]
Clinical trial numberNCT00870649 for "Efficacy of Vaccine Sh28GST in Association With Praziquantel (PZQ) for Prevention of Clinical Recurrences of Schistosoma Haematobium Pathology (Bilhvax)" atClinicalTrials.gov
