Lipoglycan compositions and methods of treating parasitic infections

A method of eliciting in a vertebrate a protective immune response against a parasitic protozoan or platyhelminth having a surface coat comprising a lipoglycan, the method comprising administering to the vertebrate a composition comprising a carrier group coupled to an oligosaccharide obtained from a lipoglycan, wherein the lipoglycan comprises a lipid group, one or more fucose groups, three to five galactoseamine groups per fucose group, two to four glucosamine groups per fucose group, one to two galactose groups per fucose group, one to two glucose groups per fucose group, one to two rhamnose groups per fucose group, and one to three mannose groups per fucose group, the composition being administered in an amount sufficient to elicit a protective immune response against the parasitic protozoan or platyhelminth.