Prospects for molecular vaccines in veterinary parasitology

Despite the profound developments in recombinant DNA technology there is only one marketed recombinant vaccine (for human viral hepatitis B). The development of others proceeds with great difficulty. Molecular vaccines against veterinary parasites are at the utmost pole of complexity in the spectrum of potential vaccines since these parasites are complex eukaryotic organisms, often dwelling at mucosal surfaces where anamnestic responses are problematic, where the immunogenicity of the parasite components is poorly understood and where the effector mechanisms of immunity are unresolved. Cloning a "protective" gene is only the first step, and perhaps the easiest, in a long process which will be necessary to develop vaccines against parasites. Additional steps will involve comprehensive analyses of the immunological responses to ensure that vaccine antigens contain the correct epitopes to induce appropriate immune effector mechanisms for parasite elimination and immunological memory and that these responses are not genetically restricted. The great expectations for recombinant vaccinia-based vaccines must be modified substantially in the light of recent evidence indicating immunological and other constraints on this approach. The use of anti-idiotype vaccines is an underexplored opportunity for practical parasite vaccines since they have several potentially important advantages. The need to include T cell antigenic peptides in peptide vaccines to extend the range of genetic responsiveness and to induce anamnestic responses is now clear. New algorithms for the prediction of such sites exist and these can be tested experimentally with synthetic peptides. There are no major technical obstacles to the development of vaccines for parasites which cannot be overcome. However substantial long term basic research is needed over a range of disciplines to achieve this worthwhile objective.