Immunosuppression: Cause for Failures of Vaccines against African Trypanosomiases

Immunosuppression: Cause for Failures of Vaccines against African Trypanosomiases

Antibodies to the variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) are required for the control of African trypanosomes infecting the blood, whereas infections of the skin by low numbers of trypanosomes are controlled by innate resistance and do not require antibodies for their control. Low numbers of trypanosomes infecting the skin, although being killed by innate resistance, do not induce protection, but e...

Immunosuppression: promises and failures.

The author participated very early in the use of immunosuppressors in the treatment of multiple sclerosis. He reviews evidence which support their use. IV Methylprednisolone, azathioprine and mitoxantrone are supported in their use by evidence of a level appropriate to the date of their generation while Cyclosporine A and Cyclophosphamide are not. The author also reviews the benefits and side e...

Tetrasubstituted Imidazolium Salts as Potent Antiparasitic Agents against African and American Trypanosomiases.

Imidazolium salts are privileged compounds in organic chemistry, and have valuable biological properties. Recent studies show that symmetric imidazolium salts with bulky moieties can display antiparasitic activity against T. cruzi. After developing a facile methodology for the synthesis of tetrasubstituted imidazolium salts from propargylamines and isocyanides, we screened a small library of th...

Development of new African horsesickness cell culture killed vaccines

The trypanosomiases.

The trypanosomiases consist of a group of important animal and human diseases caused by parasitic protozoa of the genus Trypanosoma. In sub-Saharan Africa, the final decade of the 20th century witnessed an alarming resurgence in sleeping sickness (human African trypanosomiasis). In South and Central America, Chagas' disease (American trypanosomiasis) remains one of the most prevalent infectious...