4 ms·

> often wondered Lack of a vaccine. Drug resistance. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaria https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaria

gpm 8y ago
Do vaccines even exist for organisms in the same class as malaria? I've always associated them with viruses.
- gotocake 8y ago
  You can vaccinate against some bacteria, but I’ve never heard of a vaccine for a protist although there are ongoing attempts. This rundown is pretty thorough as to why it’s chalenging, and why that challenge is related to the complexity of something like Plasmodium compared to a simple organism like a bacteria or virus. https://www.nap.edu/read/9027/chapter/6 https://www.nap.edu/read/9027/chapter/6 The malaria parasite has multiple, immunologically distinct developmental stages and effective immune avoidance strategies. Single-antigen and single-stage vaccines have proved disappointing. Multi-antigen, multistage vaccines, which elicit different kinds of immune responses directed toward different antigens, appear more promising. High antibody levels can be effective against sporozoites and blood-stage parasites, but a cytotoxic cell response is needed to attack the critical liver stage, and antibodies are clearly needed to block transmission. Selecting the optimal antigens from among the stages in the parasite's life cycle and devising optimal formulations and delivery systems to elicit the desired immunologic response is a complex and difficult task, one that must be based on scientific knowledge, but will also require empirical testing of multiple potential vaccine products. Remember that a vaccine needs to produce an immune response that doesn’t lead to cytokine storm or devestating autoimmune response.
- throway88989898 8y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccine-preventable_diseases https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccine-preventable_diseases Not an expert, but it is #25 on that WHO list.
  - credit_guy 8y ago
    It was added to the list in 2016, but with the mention that, while a vaccine exists, it's not commercially available [1] "Recent progress has been made with the completion of a Phase 3 trial of the RTS,S/AS01 candidate vaccine and review by the European Medicines Agency and WHO. There is currently no commercially available malaria vaccine." [1] https://www.who.int/immunization/research/development/malaria/en/ https://www.who.int/immunization/research/development/malari...
- retsibsi 8y ago
  Coincidentally I just read this article, about malaria vaccine tests: https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/2/21/18235136/vaccine-malaria-research-trials-volunteers https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/2/21/18235136/vaccin... It's more anecdotal than technical, but interesting nonetheless -- I never would have guessed people were volunteering to be given malaria...

gpm 8y ago

Do vaccines even exist for organisms in the same class as malaria? I've always associated them with viruses.

gotocake 8y ago
You can vaccinate against some bacteria, but I’ve never heard of a vaccine for a protist although there are ongoing attempts. This rundown is pretty thorough as to why it’s chalenging, and why that challenge is related to the complexity of something like Plasmodium compared to a simple organism like a bacteria or virus. https://www.nap.edu/read/9027/chapter/6 https://www.nap.edu/read/9027/chapter/6 The malaria parasite has multiple, immunologically distinct developmental stages and effective immune avoidance strategies. Single-antigen and single-stage vaccines have proved disappointing. Multi-antigen, multistage vaccines, which elicit different kinds of immune responses directed toward different antigens, appear more promising. High antibody levels can be effective against sporozoites and blood-stage parasites, but a cytotoxic cell response is needed to attack the critical liver stage, and antibodies are clearly needed to block transmission. Selecting the optimal antigens from among the stages in the parasite's life cycle and devising optimal formulations and delivery systems to elicit the desired immunologic response is a complex and difficult task, one that must be based on scientific knowledge, but will also require empirical testing of multiple potential vaccine products. Remember that a vaccine needs to produce an immune response that doesn’t lead to cytokine storm or devestating autoimmune response.
throway88989898 8y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccine-preventable_diseases https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccine-preventable_diseases Not an expert, but it is #25 on that WHO list.
- credit_guy 8y ago
  It was added to the list in 2016, but with the mention that, while a vaccine exists, it's not commercially available [1] "Recent progress has been made with the completion of a Phase 3 trial of the RTS,S/AS01 candidate vaccine and review by the European Medicines Agency and WHO. There is currently no commercially available malaria vaccine." [1] https://www.who.int/immunization/research/development/malaria/en/ https://www.who.int/immunization/research/development/malari...
retsibsi 8y ago
Coincidentally I just read this article, about malaria vaccine tests: https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/2/21/18235136/vaccine-malaria-research-trials-volunteers https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/2/21/18235136/vaccin... It's more anecdotal than technical, but interesting nonetheless -- I never would have guessed people were volunteering to be given malaria...