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New research into Avian flu vaccine
James Irvine
Teviot Scientific, Edinburgh & Perthshire
Filed 24 Feb 06
©www.land-care.org.uk
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have
published exciting new findings regarding the important and urgent
quest for more efficient vaccines against the highly virulent H5N1
strain of the Avian flu virus, and its possible mutations that may
facilitate transmission from poultry to man and form man to man.
What is also required is a facility whereby appropriate vaccines
can be made in quantity with minimum delay, in order to keep up
with possible mutations in the virus. The current unsatisfactory
state of affairs in terms of the use of vaccination, at least by
the EU, has been described on this website in an earlier article
(1).
The paper by Wantao Gao and colleagues, published
in The Journal of Virology this month on 15th February and available
on-line (2), describes the development
and testing of an adenovirus-based influenza A virus vaccine directed
against the hemagglutinin (HA) protein of the A/Vietnam H5N1 strain
isolated during the lethal human outbreak in Vietnam from 2003 to
2005.
Put in other words, they have genetically engineered
an avian flu vaccine from the critical components of the deadly
H5N1 virus, using a common cold virus as a base.They found that
the vaccine completely protected mice and chickens from the infection.
What is also of particular interest is that because
this experimental vaccine contains a live virus it may be more immune-activating
than avian flu vaccine prepared by traditional methods, such as
attenuation.
A further potential advantage is that this experimental
vaccine is grown in cells and could be produced much more quickly
than traditional vaccines.
Also of interest is that one form of the vaccine
has been shown to stimulate several lines of immunity against H5N1
This type of vaccine - known as a recombinant
vaccine - carrying only the important immune-stimulating proteins,
induces both antibody- and T cell-directed immunity. This is a further
major advantage over conventional vaccines.
These properties taken together make such a vaccine
potentially a very promising candidate for preventing the spread
of the virus in domestic livestock populations such as poultry,
and perhaps also in humans.
What is needed now is the further development
of this research achievement so that its benefits can be applied
to the global control of the highly virulent and lethal H5N1 strain
of avian flu virus. Hopefully this would involve international funding
- effectively coordinated by the international organisations with
world health as their remit - supporting both academic endeavour
and commercial application.
©www.land-care.org.uk
References
1. Irvine. James (2006).
Avian flu five years on from FMD UK2001: have we learnt anything?
See ANIMAL HEALTH-GENERAL Homepage, filed 23 Feb 06, www.land-care.org.uk
Click
Here to View
2. Gao, W. et al (2006). Protection
of mice and poultry from lethal H5N1 Avian Influenza virus through
adenovirus-based immunization.
J. Virol. vol 80: pp1959-1964. (for abstract Click
Here)
http://jvi.asm.org/cgi/content/abstract/80/4/1959
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