Field testing of the TSOL18 vaccine antigen of Taenia solium

Field testing of the TSOL18 vaccine antigen of Taenia solium

The chapter 1 reviews the literature about the immunological aspects of taeniid cestode infections and the existing vaccines against Taenia solium cysticercosis in pigs. The identification of the villages with a high risk of T. solium infection, which could subsequently be used in the vaccine trial, is reported in chapter 2. The chapter 3 reports the investigations that were undertaken to characterise whether the principal antibody specificities raised by TSOL18 in pigs were against linear or conformational determinants. The chapter 4 describes the development of an antibody detection test for the specific diagnosis of porcine cysticercosis. In chapter 5 the efficacy of the TSOL18 vaccine is assessed under field conditions in Cameroon. Two hundred and forty 2-3 month old piglets belonging to 114 individual households were involved in the study. In chapter 6, the similarity of the antibody responses of pigs and mice to TSOL18 antigen is highlighted. Four IgG1 monoclonal antibodies were produced against the conformational epitopes of TSOL18. In chapter 7, recommendations are made for implementing a vaccination programme.