IIT Mandi researchers invent vaccine against pork tapeworm

September 28, 2023

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Mandi, led by Dr. Amit Prasad, Associate Professor at the School of Biosciences and Bioengineering, have achieved a significant milestone in the fight against the pork tapeworm (T. solium) by pioneering an innovative protein-based vaccine.
Collaborating with scientists from Dayanand Medical College and Hospital in Punjab and the CSIR-Institute for Himalayan Bioresource Technology in Himachal Pradesh, the team has introduced a faster, more effective approach to vaccine development for challenging infectious diseases.
This tapeworm is notorious for causing both intestinal infections and severe brain infections leading to seizures.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has long recognized the pork tapeworm as a major contributor to foodborne deaths, resulting in substantial disability-adjusted life-year losses.
It accounts for a staggering 30% of epilepsy cases in developing nations, soaring to 45%-50% in regions with poor sanitation and free-roaming pigs.
- In North India, the prevalence of brain infection stands at an alarming 48.3%.
In response, the WHO’s “2030 Roadmap of Priority Neglected Tropical Diseases” is dedicated to eradicating T. solium and related infections affecting 1.5 billion people worldwide.