The forgotten variable in vaccine immunology: helminth infection.

Abstract

Vaccination is the most effective prophylactic measure against infectious diseases. Vaccine immunogenicity, however, is often reduced in rural and low-income regions where helminth infections are endemic. Helminths exert strong immunomodulatory effects and can alter host immune responses to unrelated antigens, including vaccines. This review summarizes evidence from human and mouse studies assessing how helminth infections and deworming (DW) influence vaccine responses, highlighting limitations, such as reinfection, incomplete DW, and misdiagnosis in clinical settings. Murine models enable mechanistic analyses and challenge infections. These studies revealed long-lasting impaired vaccine immunogenicity and efficacy in previously helminth-infected mice that may not be fully reversed by DW. Finally, controlled human infection models combined with systems approaches are required to improve vaccine regimens in low-income countries.