AN EX VIVO ANIMAL OR CHALLENGE MODEL AS METHOD TO MEASURE PROTECTIVE IMMUNITY DIRECTED AGAINST PARASITES AND VACCINES SHOWN TO BE PROTECTIVE IN SAID METHOD

摘要

The invention relates to an ex vivo animal or challenge model as a method toidentify protective (recombinant) proteins and rapidly measure protectiveimmunity in intestinal segments, directed against parasites and vaccinesdirected against parasitic infections. The invention further relates tovaccines directed against infection with parasites, such as Fasciola hepatica,which vaccines contain protective (recombinant) proteins identified and shownto be protective in studies using the ex vivo model. The invention furtherrelates to protective (recombinant) proteins derived from newly excystedjuveniles (NEJ) of Fasciola hepatica, and relates to the protective(recombinant) protein or fragments thereof corresponding to an NEJ proteinwith an apparent molecular weight of 32 kD, highest homology to cathepsin L,and an N-terminal amino acid sequence comprising the sequence XXDVSWPFWDRMYNY,in which the amino acids are given in the one letter code.