Virology, Emerging Diseases & vaccines

Vaccines against tropical and neglected diseases

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a group of infectious diseases that are considered “neglected” because they have traditionally received relatively little attention from global governments and health organizations. More than 1.5 billion people suffer from one or more NTDs. The neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) represent a group of parasitic and related infectious diseases such as amebiasis, Chagas disease, cysticercosis, echinococcosis, hookworm, leishmaniasis, and schistosomiasis. A new generation of vaccines for the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) have now advanced into clinical development, with the Na-GST-1/Alhydrogel Hookworm Vaccine already being tested in Phase 1 studies in healthy adults. Vaccine trials in Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, and China confirmed the efficacy of the EG95 recombinant antigen against E. granulosus infection in sheep and other host species. Independent vaccine trials carried out in pigs with the TSOL18 antigen in Mexico, Peru, Honduras, and Cameroon have all achieved 99–100% protection against an experimental challenge infection with T. solium. However there are challenges for further development and implementation of these vaccines.