Schistosomiasis Vaccine: Research to Development

Abstract

Due to their worldwide importance for human and animal health, schistosomes are in the focus of national and international research activities. Schistosomiasis is a major health problem and despite decades of research, only one effective drug, Praziquantel is currently available. Recent expansion of sequence databases on Schistosoma mansoni and S. japonicum has permitted a wealth of novel proteomic studies on several aspects of the organization and development of the parasite in the human host. Several proteomic studies in schistosomes have been performed in the past five years in an attempt to identify proteins involved in crucial processes for the parasite biology. Integration of proteomic data with those generated by microarrays is permitting a change of paradigm for the proposal of new targets for schistosomiasis treatment.