A Trypanosomiasis vaccine is a vaccine against trypanosomiasis. No effective vaccine currently exists, but development of a vaccine is the subject of current research.
There are many obstacles to development of such a vaccine. One obstacle is variant surface glycoprotein which makes it difficult for the immune system to recognize the infectious organism.[2] Also, Trypanosoma brucei has a direct inhibitory effect upon B cells.[3]
It has been suggested that these challenges could be overcome by a vaccine against the initial antigens,[4] or generating an immune response against the cysteine protease (for example, cruzipain).[5][6]
An effective vaccine was achieved in 2021 using a mouse model of infection with Trypanosoma vivax.[7]
^Lalmanach G, Boulangé A, Serveau C, et al. (May 2002). "Congopain from Trypanosoma congolense: drug target and vaccine candidate". Biol. Chem. 383 (5): 739–49. doi:10.1515/BC.2002.077. PMID12108538. S2CID22315392.
^Authié E, Boulangé A, Muteti D, Lalmanach G, Gauthier F, Musoke AJ (November 2001). "Immunisation of cattle with cysteine proteinases of Trypanosoma congolense: targeting the disease rather than the parasite". Int. J. Parasitol. 31 (13): 1429–33. doi:10.1016/S0020-7519(01)00266-1. PMID11595229.