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The Design and Testing of a Novel Anti-Fasciola Vaccine

Identification and use of a series of recombinant proteins and partial antigenic fragments targeting all stages of within-host lifecycle

Published: 10th August 2021
The Design and Testing of a Novel Anti-Fasciola Vaccine
Please note, header image is purely illustrative. Source: flickr.com/photos/biologycourses/7686933314, CC-BY-SA-2.0

Background

Fasciola hepatica

  • Globally distributed helminth parasite
    • Predominately infects livestock
    • Evidence that circa 70% of UK dairy herds are exposed
  • Presenting as a chronic wasting disease of production or giving rise to acute fatal infection
    • Economic losses estimated to reach
  • Current control measures rely on chemotherapy
    • Tricalbendazole targets both adult and juvenile
    • Sustained used has lead to resistance that continues to develop

Technology Overview

Liverpool researchers proposed a novel vaccine:

  • Multiple polarised immune responses contribute to protection
  • Single component vaccines have a low reproducibility
  • Parasite immunomodulation must be overcome

Vaccine components

  • 12 Antigenic fragments selected for:
    • Induction of antibody
    • IFN-γ production
  • Neutralisation of a key immunomodulator

Challenge Model

  • Rat vaccination & challenge
  • 3 immunisations
  • 30 metacercariae oral challenge

Vaccine protection

Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 3

Elevated correlates of protection

Figure 4, Figure 5

Stage of Development

  • Identified a cocktail of recombinant proteins and partial antigenic fragments targeting all stages of within host lifecycle
  • Validated their use in a rodent vaccine/challenge model
  • Displaying reduced parasite burden, pathology, clinical disease

Future work

  • Developing a method for prioritising B-cell responses and reducing number of vaccine components
  • Bovine vaccine/challenge finishes in May 2020 determining if current success is replicated in target hosts