• Vaccine Name: T. cruzi vector vaccine encoding Tc80
• Target Pathogen: Trypanosoma cruzi
• Target Disease: Chagas disease
• Type: Recombinant vector vaccine
• Status: Research
• Host Species for Licensed Use: Mouse
• Host Species as Laboratory Animal Model: mouse
• Antigen: Tc80 (Bivona et al., 2018)
• Tc80 gene engineering:
  • Type: Recombinant vector construction
  • Description: The gene is embedded and expressed by the T. cruzi attenuated bacterial Salmonella vector vaccine.
  • Detailed Gene Information: Click Here.
• Immunization Route: Intramuscular injection (i.m.)
• Description: A T. cruzi attenuated bacterial Salmonella vector vaccine delivering the Tc80 gene.

Mouse Response

• Host Strain: C3H/HeN
• Host age: 7 week old
• Vaccination Protocol: Mice received 4 doses of attenuated Salmonella carrying a Tc80-coding eukaryotic plasmid separated by ten days via oral administration (1x10^9 CFU/mouse). Control group mice were intramuscularly injected twice with PBS + 10 ug CpG-ODN and then two does of attenuated Salmonella carrying an empty plasmid pcDNA 3.1 orally. (Bivona et al., 2018)
• Immune Response: STc80 group which was immunized only with Tc80 DNA carried by Salmonella, did not elicit significant specific antibody titer comparing to SaroA. Antibodies isotypes reflected a Th1-biased response since IgG2a levels were higher than IgG1. Splenocytes from all immunized mice were able to secrete IL-2 and IFN -y upon antigen recall. STc80 group presented a significantly higher percentage of IFN-y or TNF-a producing CD4+ T cells. (Bivona et al., 2018)
• Challenge Protocol: Two weeks after last immunization, immunized female C3H/HeN mice were challenged intraperitoneally with 200 blood trypomastigotes of T. cruzi strain RA. (Bivona et al., 2018)
• Efficacy: All immunized mice presented significantly reduced parasitemias during the acute phase of infection compared to the control. (Bivona et al., 2018)