V. Diseno de vacunas contra enfermedades infecciosas

Vaccines are the most effective and reliable way to prevent and control infectious and parasitic diseases. In spite of the great development that this kind of biological products has reached over the past years, certain viral diseases, like AIDS and most of those produced by parasitic protozoa, like amebiasis and trypanosomiasis, still have not been controlled by means of safe and effective vaccines. Vaccine against malaria is one that has shown greater success. Accordingly, all are still being developed. Numerous factors oppose success. For example, one is the risk that includes the use of live viruses or their DNA, in the case of HIV or the ability that some protozoa have to depress, evade, or inactivate the protective immune response. An effective vaccine must induce both the humoral and the cellular branches of the immune system, and in addition to considering the entire biological cycle of the causative agent. In this contribution, several novel strategies to develop vaccines against amebiasis and AIDS are discussed.