title: Plasmodium vivax vaccine research - we've only just begun.
abstract: Plasmodium vivax parasites cause the majority of malaria cases outside Africa, and are increasingly being acknowledged as a cause of severe disease. The unique attributes of P. vivax biology, particularly the capacity of the dormant liver stage, the hypnozoite, to maintain blood-stage infections even in the absence of active transmission, make blood-stage vaccines particularly attractive for this species. However, P. vivax vaccine development remains resolutely in first gear, with only a single blood-stage candidate having been evaluated in any depth. Experience with Plasmodium falciparum suggests that a much broader search for new candidates and a deeper understanding of high priority targets will be required to make significant advances. This review discusses some of the particular challenges of P. vivax blood-stage vaccine development, highlighting both recent advances and key remaining barriers to overcome in order to move development forward.
authors.affiliation: The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia; Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia.
authors.forename: Wai-Hong
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Tham
authors.affiliation: Macfarlane Burnet Institute of Medical Research, 85 Commercial Road, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia; Central Clinical School and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: James G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Beeson
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, United Kingdom. Electronic address: jr9@sanger.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Julian C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Rayner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D017780:Malaria Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D016780:Malaria, Vivax / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010966:Plasmodium vivax / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D017780:Malaria Vaccines
keywords: Erythrocyte invasion; Malaria; Plasmodium vivax; Vaccine