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Vaccine Available (vaccine + available)
Selected AbstractsImmunization with heat-killed Francisella tularensis LVS elicits protective antibody-mediated immunityEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 11 2007Christy Abstract Francisella tularensis (FT) has been classified by the CDC as a category,A pathogen because of its high virulence and the high mortality rate associated with infection via the aerosol route. Because there is no licensed vaccine available for FT, development of prophylactic and therapeutic regimens for the prevention/treatment of infection is a high priority. In this report, heat-killed FT live vaccine strain (HKLVS) was employed as a vaccine immunogen, either alone or in combination with an adjuvant, and was found to elicit protective immunity against high-dose FT live vaccine strain (FTLVS) challenge. FT-specific antibodies produced in response to immunization with HKLVS alone were subsequently found to completely protect naive mice against high-dose FT challenge in both infection-interference and passive immunization experiments. Additional passive immunization trials employing serum collected from mice immunized with a heat-killed preparation of an O-antigen-deficient transposon mutant of FTLVS (HKLVS-OAgneg) yielded similar results. These findings demonstrated that FT-specific antibodies alone can confer immunity against high-dose FTLVS challenge, and they reveal that antibody-mediated protection is not dependent upon production of LPS-specific antibodies. [source] Surprises from the crystal structure of the hepatitis C virus NS2-3 protease,HEPATOLOGY, Issue 6 2006Jerome Gouttenoire Ph.D. Hepatitis C virus is a major global health problem affecting an estimated 170 million people worldwide. Chronic infection is common and can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer. There is no vaccine available and current therapies have met with limited success. The viral RNA genome encodes a polyprotein that includes 2 proteases essential for virus replication. The NS2-3 protease mediates a single cleavage at the NS2/NS3 junction, whereas the NS3-4A protease cleaves at 4 downstream sites in the polyprotein. NS3-4A is characterized as a serine protease with a chymotrypsin-like fold, but the enzymatic mechanism of the NS2-3 protease remains unresolved. Here, we report the crystal structure of the catalytic domain of the NS2-3 protease at 2.3 Å resolution. The structure reveals a dimeric cysteine protease with 2 composite active sites. For each active site, the catalytic histidine and glutamate residues are contributed by one monomer, and the nucleophilic cysteine by the other. The carboxy-terminal residues remain coordinated in the 2 active sites, predicting an inactive postcleavage form. Proteolysis through formation of a composite active site occurs in the context of the viral polyprotein expressed in mammalian cells. These features offer unexpected insights into polyprotein processing by hepatitis C virus and new opportunities for antiviral drug design. [source] Should Health-Care Providers in the United States Have Access to Influenza Vaccines Formulated for the Southern Hemisphere?JOURNAL OF TRAVEL MEDICINE, Issue 6 2008Raymond A. Strikas MD Background Influenza is the most common vaccine-preventable disease in travelers. It circulates year-round in the tropics, November to March in the northern hemisphere (NH), and April to October in the southern hemisphere (SH). In 2005, approximately 8.5 million US adults aged 18 years and older traveled to the Caribbean. A similar number traveled to the tropics and the SH. SH formulation of influenza vaccine is not available in the United States. We surveyed International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM) members to ask if they would use SH influenza vaccine if available. Methods We electronically mailed a survey in December 2006 to 1,251 ISTM members in the United States. We asked if respondents would use SH vaccine for patients traveling to the SH or tropics, how many such patients per week they see, and their practice location. Results We received 157 responses for a response rate of 12.5%. Of these, 129 (82%) stated that they would be interested in having SH influenza vaccine available. Of those indicating interest, 73 (60%) reported seeing >10 patients traveling to the SH or tropics each week. Respondents reported practice settings in 34 states and the District of Columbia. Respondents requested more information about the likely cost of SH influenza vaccine, ordering conditions, vaccine use guidelines, comparability with NH vaccine, and approval of SH vaccine by the Food and Drug Administration. Conclusions Many travelers to the SH are at risk for influenza infection. Although only a limited number of ISTM members responded, respondents indicated considerable interest in availability of SH influenza vaccine for their patients. More data from travel medicine and other practitioners are needed on this topic. Inquiries are being made of influenza vaccine manufacturers about licensing SH influenza vaccines in the United States. Adding SH influenza vaccine to the vaccines available to NH clinicians could help mitigate the morbidity of influenza in travelers. [source] REVIEW ARTICLE: Chlamydia trachomatis, a Hidden Epidemic: Effects on Female Reproduction and Options for TreatmentAMERICAN JOURNAL OF REPRODUCTIVE IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 6 2010Alison J. Carey Citation Carey AJ, Beagley KW. Chlamydia trachomatis, a hidden epidemic: effects on the female reproduction and options for treatment. Am J Reprod Immunol 2010 The number of genital tract Chlamydia trachomatis infections is steadily increasing worldwide, with approximately 50,70% of infections asymptomatic. There is currently no uniform screening practice, current antibiotic treatment has failed to prevent the increased incidence, and there is no vaccine available. We examined studies on the epidemiology of C. trachomatis infections, the effects infections have on the female reproductive tract and subsequent reproductive health and what measures are being taken to reduce these problems. Undetected or multiple infections in women can lead to the development of severe reproductive sequelae, including pelvic inflammatory disease and tubal infertility. There are two possible paradigms of chlamydial pathogenesis, the cellular and immunological paradigms. While many vaccine candidates are being extensively tested in animal models, they are still years from clinical trials. With no vaccine available and antibiotic treatment unable to halt the increased incidence, infection rates will continue to increase and cause a significant burden on health care systems. [source] Safety and efficacy of vaccinesDERMATOLOGIC THERAPY, Issue 2 2009Brenda L. Bartlett ABSTRACT For the past two centuries, vaccines have provided a safe and effective means of preventing a number of infectious diseases. Although the safety of some vaccines has been questioned in recent years, the currently available vaccines are more than a millionfold safer than the diseases they are designed to prevent. Vaccines, however, should always be used in conjunction with other public health interventions. One important intervention is education because the general public can be led to believe that vaccines are unsafe and not needed by misinformation readily available electronically and in print. Not only are some vaccines available via injection but other vaccines are also given orally or intranasally. New vaccines are being studied for topical and intravaginal use. In addition, new systems are being developed for more efficient production of vaccines, especially for influenza. Vaccines are currently available for only a limited number of viral and bacterial diseases. In the future, it is anticipated that safe and effective vaccines will be developed against a number of other viral and bacterial infections as well as fungal and protozoan diseases. [source] Should Health-Care Providers in the United States Have Access to Influenza Vaccines Formulated for the Southern Hemisphere?JOURNAL OF TRAVEL MEDICINE, Issue 6 2008Raymond A. Strikas MD Background Influenza is the most common vaccine-preventable disease in travelers. It circulates year-round in the tropics, November to March in the northern hemisphere (NH), and April to October in the southern hemisphere (SH). In 2005, approximately 8.5 million US adults aged 18 years and older traveled to the Caribbean. A similar number traveled to the tropics and the SH. SH formulation of influenza vaccine is not available in the United States. We surveyed International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM) members to ask if they would use SH influenza vaccine if available. Methods We electronically mailed a survey in December 2006 to 1,251 ISTM members in the United States. We asked if respondents would use SH vaccine for patients traveling to the SH or tropics, how many such patients per week they see, and their practice location. Results We received 157 responses for a response rate of 12.5%. Of these, 129 (82%) stated that they would be interested in having SH influenza vaccine available. Of those indicating interest, 73 (60%) reported seeing >10 patients traveling to the SH or tropics each week. Respondents reported practice settings in 34 states and the District of Columbia. Respondents requested more information about the likely cost of SH influenza vaccine, ordering conditions, vaccine use guidelines, comparability with NH vaccine, and approval of SH vaccine by the Food and Drug Administration. Conclusions Many travelers to the SH are at risk for influenza infection. Although only a limited number of ISTM members responded, respondents indicated considerable interest in availability of SH influenza vaccine for their patients. More data from travel medicine and other practitioners are needed on this topic. Inquiries are being made of influenza vaccine manufacturers about licensing SH influenza vaccines in the United States. Adding SH influenza vaccine to the vaccines available to NH clinicians could help mitigate the morbidity of influenza in travelers. [source] Principles of antidote pharmacology: an update on prophylaxis, post-exposure treatment recommendations and research initiatives for biological agentsBRITISH JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY, Issue 4 2010S Ramasamy The use of biological agents has generally been confined to military-led conflicts. However, there has been an increase in non-state-based terrorism, including the use of asymmetric warfare, such as biological agents in the past few decades. Thus, it is becoming increasingly important to consider strategies for preventing and preparing for attacks by insurgents, such as the development of pre- and post-exposure medical countermeasures. There are a wide range of prophylactics and treatments being investigated to combat the effects of biological agents. These include antibiotics (for both conventional and unconventional use), antibodies, anti-virals, immunomodulators, nucleic acids (analogues, antisense, ribozymes and DNAzymes), bacteriophage therapy and micro-encapsulation. While vaccines are commercially available for the prevention of anthrax, cholera, plague, Q fever and smallpox, there are no licensed vaccines available for use in the case of botulinum toxins, viral encephalitis, melioidosis or ricin. Antibiotics are still recommended as the mainstay treatment following exposure to anthrax, plague, Q fever and melioidosis. Anti-toxin therapy and anti-virals may be used in the case of botulinum toxins or smallpox respectively. However, supportive care is the only, or mainstay, post-exposure treatment for cholera, viral encephalitis and ricin , a recommendation that has not changed in decades. Indeed, with the difficulty that antibiotic resistance poses, the development and further evaluation of techniques and atypical pharmaceuticals are fundamental to the development of prophylaxis and post-exposure treatment options. The aim of this review is to present an update on prophylaxis and post-exposure treatment recommendations and research initiatives for biological agents in the open literature from 2007 to 2009. [source] | ||||||||||