title: Advances and challenges towards a vaccine against Chagas disease.
abstract: Chagas disease is major public health problem, affecting nearly 10 million people, characterized by cardiac alterations leading to congestive heart failure and death of 20-40% of the patients infected with Trypanosoma cruzi, the protozoan parasite responsible for the disease. A vaccine would be key to improve disease control and we review here the recent advances and challenges of a T. cruzi vaccine. There is a growing consensus that a protective immune response requires the activation of a Th1 immune profile, with the stimulation of CD8 (+)  T cells. Several vacines types, including recombinant proteins, DNA and viral vectors, as well as heterologous prime-boost combinations, have been found immunogenic and protective in mouse models, providing proof-of-concept data on the feasibility of a preventive or therapeutic vaccine to control a T. cruzi infection. However, several challenges such as better end-points, safety issues and trial design need to be addressed for further vaccine development to proceed.
authors: Laboratorio de Parasitología, Centro de Investigaciones Regionales 'Dr. Hideyo Noguchi', Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Merida, Mexico.
authors: Israel
authors: I
authors: Quijano-Hernandez
authors: Eric
authors: E
authors: Dumonteil
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D016052:Protozoan Vaccines / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000276:immunology*; D014611:Vaccination
chemical_list: D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D016052:Protozoan Vaccines