New toxoplasmosis vaccine

By using a new approach, scientists have developed an experimental vaccine against Toxoplasma gondii.

According to statistics, most people tolerate toxoplasmosis well and without any complications. But the causative agent of this infection, the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii, is dangerous both for pregnant women due to risk of intrauterine pathologies, and for people with weakened immunity or infants due to fatal complications.

It is worth noting that recently, by using a completely new approach, US scientists have developed an experimental Toxoplasma gondii vaccine. To create a vaccine, the researchers used the principle of self-assembling protein particles (these small structures self-assemble into "strands" of polypeptides, amino acid sequences). Scientists supplied the protein "strands" with particles of Toxoplasma antigens. They simultaneously triggered several mechanisms of the immune response. So far, ToxAll has been tested in animals only, but it has already demonstrated promising results. An experiment, carried out on genetically modified mice, in which immunity mimics the human work, has shown a high level of protection (87%) 14 and 21 days after infection with Toxoplasma. According to the developers, this vaccine against toxoplasmosis can be used for other infections.

SOURCE: NEWS MEDICAL