Trichinosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the ingestion of raw or undercooked meat containing the larvae of the parasitic roundworms from the genus Trichinella. At our company, we specialize in advancing the preclinical research and development of vaccines and therapeutics for trichinosis.
Overview of Trichinosis
Trichinosis, commonly referred to as trichinellosis, is a parasitic illness primarily caused by consuming undercooked or raw meat harboring the larvae of the Trichinella species, notably Trichinella spiralis. This zoonotic disease carries significant public health implications, particularly in regions where pork consumption is widespread. The life cycle of T. spiralis commences with humans ingesting the encysted larvae, which then develop into adult worms within the intestines. Following reproduction, the females release newborn larvae that migrate to various tissues, predominantly skeletal muscle, where they encapsulate and can persist for years.
Fig.1 Factors influencing the effectiveness of Trichinella spiralis vaccines in animal models. (Tang B., et al., 2020)
Vaccine Development for Trichinosis
- Live Attenuated Vaccines
One of the first tactics in developing vaccines for Trichinella infections was live attenuated vaccines which remains as one of the earliest strategies. These types of vaccines are produced by weakening T. spiralis in such a way that the organism loses its pathogenicity but retains its immunogenicity.
- Natural Antigen Vaccines
Natural antigen vaccines can be categorized as those obtained from crude extracts from T. spiralis or specific antigens from various life stages of the parasites. Studies have demonstrated that these vaccines can produce remarkably substantial protective immunity.
- Recombinant Protein Vaccines
Advancements in genetic engineering have led to an increase in the use of recombinant protein vaccines in recent years. Such vaccines use unique proteins extracted from T. spiralis to trigger immune responses.
- DNA Vaccines
As such, plasmid DNA containing immunogenic T. spiralis genes is incorporated into the host as a vaccine to elicit potent both cell mediated and antibody mediated immune responses. Such DNA vaccines are a unique and hopeful approach towards conquering trichinosis.
- Synthetic Peptide Vaccines
Synthetic peptide vaccines comprise a few short peptides which correspond to some T. spiralis epitopes of the antigens. Such vaccines can elicit immune response without risks posed by whole-organism vaccines.
Table 1. The protective effect of different types vaccines against Trichinella spiralis infection. (Tang B., et al., 2020)
| Vaccine type |
Animal model |
Antigen/Adjuvant |
Antigen delivery |
Dose |
Protection |
| Live attenuated vaccines |
Mice |
Attenuated larvae |
oral |
300 attenuated larvae |
72.5% reduction in ML |
| Natural antigens vaccines |
Pigs |
Whole newborn larvae/Freund's complete adjuvant |
ip |
3.5 × 105 NBL |
78% reduction in ML |
| Mice |
Larval Excretory-secretory (ES) products/Freund's complete adjuvant |
ip |
10 µg |
65.3% reduction in ML |
| Mice |
CTAB antigen/Freund's complete adjuvant |
sc |
100 µg |
50.42% reduction in ML |
| Recombinant protein vaccines |
Mice |
T. spiralis serine protease (rTsSP)/cholera toxin subunit B |
in |
30 µg |
71.10% reduction in Ad and 62.10% reduction in ML |
| Mice |
T. spiralis serine protease inhibitor (rTsSPI)/Freund's complete adjuvant |
sc |
20 µg |
62.2% reduction in Ad and 57.25% reduction in ML |
| Mice |
T. spiralis adult-specific DNase II-1 (rTsDNase II-1)/Freund's adjuvant |
sc |
20 µg |
40.36% reduction in Ad and 50.43% reduction in ML |
| DNA vaccines |
Mice |
pcDNA3.1(+)-TsNBLsp |
im |
60 µg |
77.93% reduction in ML |
| Synthetic peptide vaccines |
Mice |
A 40-mer synthetic peptide |
sc |
100 µg |
64.3% reduction in Ad |
Therapeutics Development for Trichinosis
Antiparasitic Drugs
The traditional therapeutic for trichinosis has been the use of anti parasites, mainly albendazole and mebendazole. These drugs target adult worms and their larvae, but they can also cause bone marrow suppression, and so therapeutics should be followed closely. During very severe trichinosis corticosteroids can be given to quell inflammation and other systemic symptoms.
Novel Antiparasitic Agents
The search and development of new microorganisms Trichinella specific antiparasitic agents is under research and is designed to target the organisms at various stages of their life cycles. In particular, a number of studies are investigating the effectiveness of natural compounds, including extracts of some plants which have demonstrated positive results in preclinical studies with combined antiparasitic and anti-inflammatory activities.
Our Services
The full range of services is necessary for advancing the vaccine and therapeutic development R&D pipeline for trichinellosis, and our business can fulfill these expectations. We offer expert assistance in identification and validation of specific antigens and carry out preclinical trial work.
Disease Models
- T. spiralis Live Larvae Infection Mouse Models
- T. spiralis Antigens Infection Mouse Models
- Pig Models of Infection with Larvae from Contaminated Sources
Our preclinical research services encompass a range of activities from the identification of potential vaccine candidates through to efficacy testing in relevant animal models. We utilize state-of-the-art facilities and adhere to stringent scientific standards to ensure the validity of our findings. If you are interested in our services, please feel free to contact us.
References
- Tang Bin, et al. "Vaccines as a strategy to control trichinellosis." Frontiers in microbiology 13 (2022): 857786.
- Gottstein, Bruno, Edoardo Pozio, and Karsten Nöckler. "Epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, and control of trichinellosis." Clinical microbiology reviews 22.1 (2009): 127-145.
All of our services and products are intended for preclinical research use
only and cannot be used to diagnose, treat or manage patients.
