Next-Generation Vaccines for Tropical Infectious Diseases

Tropical infectious diseases inflict an unacceptable burden of disease on humans living in developing countries. While anti-pathogenic drugs have been widely used, they carry a constant threat of selecting for resistance. Vaccines offer a promising means by which to enhance the global control of tropical infectious diseases, but these have been difficult to develop, mostly due to the complex nature of the pathogen lifecycles. Here, we present recently developed vaccine candidates for five tropical infectious diseases in the form of a catalogue, that have either entered clinical trials or have been licenced for use. We deliberate on recently licensed dengue vaccines; provide evidence why combination vaccination could have a synergistic impact on schistosomiasis; critically appraise the value of typhoid conjugate vaccines; and discuss the potential of vaccines in the efforts to eliminate vivax malaria and hookworms.