[Controlled human infection studies: efficient research on tropical infectious diseases]

Controlled human infection studies, in which small groups of health volunteers are exposed to an infectious agent, contribute significantly to the tropical infectious diseases research field. Not only can these studies be used to quickly and efficiently test new vaccines or drugs, but they can also lead to new insights into the pathophysiology and immunology of these infectious diseases. When designing a controlled human infection study, many important ethical and methodological considerations should be taken into account. In The Netherlands, different research institutes study tropical infections, such as malaria, hookworms, and schistosomiasis, using controlled human infections. These studies aimed to develop or improve infection models and have been used to test new malaria vaccines. These Dutch studies have contributed to the development of vaccines and drugs for these often underfunded and overlooked diseases.