Babesiosis vaccine

What is babesiosis? Babesiosis is a parasitic infection similar to borreliosis and is transmitted by ticks. This infection threatens not only farm animals, but humans as well.

Babesias act directly on red blood cells. Initially they manifest in humans as a flu-like illness which often transforms into severe anaemia. The elderly, immunocompromised people and those who require blood transfusions are more at risk for this serious illness. For this special population, scientists from Griffith University have developed a new vaccine for the prevention of human babesiosis. This vaccine is universal; it forms immunity against various types of babesia, which are specific to humans. Its effectiveness has already been proven in preclinical studies.

The vaccine is capable of killing parasites by stimulating an immune response that is mediated by both T cells and macrophages. Also, a liposomal platform is used to deliver the active component of the vaccine.  This gives the product an important advantage – the vaccine can be lyophilized, as well as easy to transport and store.

Source: miragenews.com