Vaccination against cestode parasites

Abstract

Cestode parasites are important because they cause production losses, particularly in the sheep, beef and pig meat industries, and because some species are zoonotic parasites which cause serious disease in humans. Research on the development of vaccines to prevent infection with cestode parasites has concentrated on the taeniid cestodes. Two strategies can be adopted for vaccine research: vaccines against infection in the definitive hosts and vaccines for use in the intermediate hosts. The number and accessibility of definitive hosts would favour these as potential targets for vaccines over intermediate hosts, however little success has been achieved in demonstrating immune-mediated resistan..