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Mechanisms of Immunity in Hydatid Disease: Implications for Vaccine Development¹

Wenbao Zhang^*, Allen G. Ross and Donald P. McManus^2,*

^* Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, Infectious Diseases Division, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia; and Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada

The Echinococcus organisms, the cause of echinococcosis (hydatid disease), are parasitic helminths with life cycles involving a carnivorous definitive host (usually dog or fox) and an intermediate host (human, ungulate, or rodent). They are complex multicellular pathogens that, despite being under constant barrage by the immune system, are able to modulate antiparasite immune responses and persist and flourish in their mammalian hosts. Understanding how the immune system deals with these parasites is a major challenge. Recent application of modern molecular and immunological approaches has revealed insights on the nature of immune responses generated during the course of hydatid infection, although many aspects of the Echinococcus-host interplay remain unexplored. This review summarizes current understanding of the immunology of echinococcosis, indicates areas where information is lacking, and shows how knowledge of host protective immunity has been translated into the design and development of anti-Echinococcus vaccines for application in intermediate hosts.

The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked advertisement in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.

¹ This research on hydatid disease was financially supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia and National Institutes of Health Grant R03 AI063367 (to W.Z. and D.P.M.).

² Address correspondence and reprint requests to Prof. Don McManus, Molecular Parasitology Laboratory, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, 300 Herston Road, Brisbane, Queensland 4006, Australia. E-mail address: donM{at}qimr.edu.au

³ Abbreviations used in this paper: CE, cystic echinococcosis; AE, alveolar echinococcosis; BCG, bacillus Calmette-Guérin; DC, dendritic cell; LL, laminated layer; s/r, susceptibility/resistance.