Protection of sheep against Schistosoma bovis using cryopreserved radiation-attenuated schistosomula.

Three sheep were vaccinated with two doses of 3 krad-irradiated cryopreserved Schistosoma bovis schistosomula containing 20,000 and 17,000 organisms respectively, injected intramuscularly 23 days apart after storage in liquid nitrogen for between 9 and 46 days. A challenge of 5360 S. bovis cercariae was administered percutaneously approximately four weeks after the last vaccine dose to these animals and to three controls. Post-challenge the vaccinated animals gained significantly more weight (27% v. 9%), produced fewer eggs in their faeces, showed a smaller reduction in PCV values (-18% v. -27%) and were over-all in better condition than control animals. At perfusion 49.1% fewer adult worms were found in the vaccinated sheep than in controls. The tissue egg burdens were similar in both groups. Histopathologically both groups were similar except that fewer and smaller egg lesions were observed in the livers of vaccinated animals.