Current status and future prospects of Echinococcus multilocularis vaccine candidates: A systematic review

The larval stages of Echinococcus multilocularis (E. multilocularis) are what cause the zoonotic disease known as alveolar echinococcosis (AE). Identifying the antigens that trigger immune responses during infection is extremely important for the development of vaccines against Echinococcus infections. Several studies conducted in recent decades have described the specific traits of the protective antigens found in E. multilocularis and their role in immunizing different animal hosts. The objective of the current systematic review was to summarize the findings of relevant literature on this topic and unravel the most effective vaccine candidate antigens for future research. A comprehensive search was conducted across five databases, including ProQuest, PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science, until March 1, 2023. Two reviewers autonomously conducted the screening and evaluation of data extraction and quality assessment. In the present study, a total of 41 papers matched the criteria for inclusion. The study findings indicate that the combination of Em14-3-3 and BCG is widely considered the most often employed antigens for E. multilocularis immunization. In addition, the study describes antigen delivery, measurement of immune responses, adjuvants, animal models, as well as routes and doses of vaccination. The research indicated that recombinant vaccines containing EMY162, EM95, and EmII/3-Em14-3-3 antigens and crude or purified antigens containing ribotan-formulated excretory/secretory antigens exhibited the most favorable outcomes and elicited protective immune responses.