Vaccines in Congenital Toxoplasmosis: Advances and Perspectives

• Type: Another Publication in an International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2021

Authors

Barros, M (Author) Other; Teixeira, D (Author) Other; Manuel Vilanova (Author) ICBAS; Alexandra Correia (Author) ICBAS; Teixeira, N (Author) Other; Margarida Borges (Author) FFUP

Journal

Title: Frontiers In Immunology

Vol. 11

ISSN: 1664-3224

Publisher: Frontiers Media

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 2 Citations

Scopus - 4 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00T-KMK

DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.621997

Abstract (EN): Congenital toxoplasmosis has a high impact on human disease worldwide, inducing serious consequences from fetus to adulthood. Despite this, there are currently no human vaccines available to prevent this infection. Most vaccination studies against Toxoplasma gondii infection used animal models in which the infection was established by exogenous inoculation. Here, we review recent research on potential T. gondii vaccines using animal models in which infection was congenitally established. Endeavors in this field have so far revealed that live or subunit vaccines previously found to confer protection against extrinsically established infections can also protect, at least partially, from vertically transmitted infection. Nevertheless, there is no consensus on the more adequate immune response to protect the host and the fetus in congenital infection. Most of the vaccination studies rely on the assessment of maternal systemic immune responses, quantification of parasitic loads in the fetuses, and survival indexes and/or brain parasitic burden in the neonates. More research must be carried out not only to explore new vaccines but also to further study the nature of the elicited immune protection at the maternal-fetal interface. Particularly, the cellular and molecular effector mechanisms at the maternal-fetal interface induced by immunization remain poorly characterized. Deeper knowledge on the immune response at this specific location will certainly help to refine the vaccine-induced immunity and, consequently, to provide the most effective and safest protection against T. gondii vertical infection.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 9