Review on Current Status of Vaccines against Parasitic Diseases of
Animals
Bedaso Kebede
1*
, Teshale Sori
2
and Bersissa Kumssa
2
1
Veterinary Drug and Animal Feed Administration and Control Authority, Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
2
College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
*
Corresponding author: Bedaso Kebede, Veterinary Drug and Animal Feed Administration and Control Authority, Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development,
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Tel: 0913136824; E-mail: Kebede.bedaso@yahoo.com
Rec date: Feb 15, 2016; Acc date: Apr 04, 2016; Pub date: Apr 06, 2016
Copyright: © 2016 Kebede B, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted
use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Parasitic diseases are one of the most common problems that confront the health and productivity of animals
worldwide. Parasites are responsible for organ condemnation, zoonoses and huge economic losses in animal
production. Various control methods have been implemented to minimize or curb losses caused by parasitic
diseases. Chemotherapy and chemoprophylaxis are the most widely used control approaches all over the world.
However, development of drug resistance, high price of the drugs, unavailability and growing concern about drug
residues hinder the success of this approach. Vaccination is regarded as one of the best alternative method for the
control of parasites in the future. In an attempt of to develop commercial vaccines against economically important
parasites researchers have so far focused on identifying target antigens. Some of these include ticks salivary gland
antigens, secretory and excretory antigens of helminthes and hidden antigens of Heamonchus contortus. As a result
of this effort several candidate antigens have been identified, vaccines prepared from them and tested for their
suitability and efficacy. However, most of these vaccines have not been widely utilized. Information about the
regulations and standard operating procedures that apply to licensing of production and marketing of parasite
vaccines is scanty. Therefore, the objective of this article is to review the current status of vaccines against parasitic
diseases of animals.
Keywords: Parasites; Vaccines; Control
Abbreviations
IgM: Immunoglobulin M; IgG: Immunoglobulin G; IgA:
Immunoglobulin A; IgE: Immunoglobulin E; IgD: Immunoglobulin D
Introduction
Parasitic diseases are global problems and considered as a major
obstacles in curtailing health and lowering productivity of animals.
Both endoparasites that live inside the body and ectoparasitesthat live
on the body like ticks, mites, lice, leas and lies attack the body surface
which is responsible for huge economic losses in animal production.
Ater several times of exposure to nematode infection cattle and sheep
gradually become resistant to reinfection especially when they become
adult animals. his fact provides the basis for believe and search of
vaccines against parasitic diseases. However, the development of
immunity against parasites depends on numerous factors including
breed, genetic makeup of individuals, age and several characteristics of
co-infecting nematode species. In addition, management factors such
as provision of clean pasture and adequate nutrition can greatly
inluences attempts to control infection. his brief list could be
extended and all of these factors need to be considered when devising
vaccination strategies. Vaccine development against parasites faces
several fundamental challenges like the isolation of native antigens
from none blood feeders which elicit protective immunity if delivered
to the immune system in an appropriate manner [1,2].
Helminth parasites have had a signiicant impact on animal health
and/or productivity from the time that animals were irst domesticated
and then either farmed intensively or kept as companions by humans.
Parasites of domestic animals have been controlled using several
antiparasitic drugs worldwide. But the use of these antiparasites will
not continue in the foreseeable future. his is due to insurgence of
resistance against the drugs by the parasites of animals, high cost of
drugs, less availability and food safety issues concerning drug residues.
hese limitations of antiparasitic drugs as seen in many regions of the
world provide a window of opportunity for the development and use of
alternative control strategies. Recent research indings have shown that
it is possible to stimulate protective immunity in animal hosts against
parasites by vaccination [3]. Vaccines with the ability to interrupt the
life cycle of certain Helminth parasites have been used for efective
control of helminthosis in herd or lock of animals [4]. Similarly,
efective vaccines have also been developed and their eiciency has
been tested against other parasitic diseases.
Vaccination could be applied either to protect the most susceptible
animals in a lock/ herd or to minimize the buildup of larvae on
pasture and so reduce the rate of infection in susceptible animals.
However, vaccines have not been widely used at ield level to control
the widely distributed parasitic infections globally. Even though several
vaccines have been developed and their eicacy published, they have
not been commercialized due to a number of technical factors [5]. he
advancement of molecular techniques is also considered as a favorable
condition for development of new vaccines in the near future. Reliable
and up to date scientiic information is crucial for understanding and
application of vaccines against parasitic diseases.
herefore, the objective of this article is to review the current status
of vaccines against parasitic diseases of animals.
Veterinary Science & Technology
Kebede, et al., J Veterinar Sci Techno 2016, 7:3
http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2157-7579.1000327
Review Article Open Access
J Veterinar Sci Techno
ISSN:2157-7579 JVST, an open access journal
Volume 7 • Issue 3 • 1000327