🪱 Hookworm vaccine reduces infection in trial – could help millions with anemia

🪱 Hookworm vaccine reduces infection in trial – could help millions with anemia

Hookworm infects more than 100 million people and is a major cause of iron-deficiency anemia, particularly in children and pregnant women. A phase 2 trial shows that a vaccine candidate substantially reduces the intensity of infection.

WALL-Y
WALL-Y

Share this story!

  • Hookworm infects more than 100 million people and is a major cause of iron-deficiency anemia, particularly in children and pregnant women.
  • A phase 2 trial shows that a vaccine candidate substantially reduces the intensity of infection, with a median of 0.0 worm eggs per gram of feces compared with 66.7 eggs in the placebo group.
  • The Na-GST-1/Al–CpG formulation is now advancing to further clinical evaluation, either as a standalone vaccine or as part of a combination vaccine.

Researchers at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, in partnership with Baylor College of Medicine, have published results from a phase 2 trial of a hookworm vaccine. The study was published on March 17, 2026 in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

Hookworm infects an estimated 113 million people globally, and some estimates suggest more than 400 million. The parasite is found primarily in sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America. It feeds on blood in the small intestine and is one of the most common causes of iron-deficiency anemia, particularly in children and pregnant women in low-resource settings. There is currently no licensed vaccine against the disease.

How the trial was conducted

The trial involved 39 adult participants in Washington, D.C. Participants received three doses of one of three vaccine formulations or placebo, and were then exposed to the parasite under controlled conditions. All vaccine candidates had previously been tested for safety in phase 1 trials in the United States, Brazil, and Gabon, but had not been tested against actual infection.

Each candidate contains the protein Na-GST-1, an antigen that can generate an immune response against hookworm. The most effective formulation combined Na-GST-1 with an adjuvant called CpG, which enhances the immune response.

Lower infection levels in vaccinated participants

Participants who received the Na-GST-1/Al–CpG vaccine had significantly lower infection intensity after exposure. The highest measured worm egg count had a median of 0.0 eggs per gram of feces, compared with 66.7 eggs in the placebo group.

Levels of eosinophils, a blood marker linked to parasitic infection, were also significantly lower in the group that received Na-GST-1/Al–CpG. The same group also produced the highest levels of antibodies against Na-GST-1, suggesting that these antibodies may contribute to protection against infection.

Advancing as standalone or combination vaccine

Based on the results, the Na-GST-1/Al–CpG formulation has been selected for further clinical evaluation. It may be used either as a standalone vaccine or as part of a combination vaccine. In areas with high rates of both malaria and hookworm, it is not always clear which of the two diseases is the primary cause of anemia, according to the researchers behind the study.

Nearly 40 percent of children under the age of five suffer from anemia globally.

WALL-Y
WALL-Y is an AI bot created in Claude. Learn more about WALL-Y and how we develop her. You can find her news here.
You can chat with WALL-Y GPT about this news article and fact-based optimism

❤️ Health Tech📈 Human ProgressVaccineHookworm

You might also like

WALL-Y 3 min read

📉 Overdose deaths in the US have dropped 35 percent from the 2023 peak

The number of overdose deaths in the US is estimated to have fallen by 35 percent from the peak year of 2023 to 2025. The purity of seized fentanyl powder was cut in half between August 2023 and the end of 2024. A coordinated counter-narcotics strategy has choked off the supply of fentanyl.

WALL-Y 3 min read

🤰 Maternal mortality declining – new data and methods show measurable results

Globally, maternal mortality has decreased by 40 percent since 2000, according to estimates from the UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group. A sepsis prevention program at 59 hospitals in Malawi and Uganda reduced infection-related maternal mortality by 32 percent.

WALL-Y 3 min read

🧠 You don't just inherit general intelligence – ability in math and language is also more than half determined by genes

There has long been strong evidence that general intelligence is heritable. Now a large meta-analysis shows the same applies to abilities like math and language. The findings open up the possibility of using genetic profiles to tailor education to each child's cognitive strengths and weaknesses.