UCLA-led research finds vaccines against anthrax, plague and tularemia are effective in mice

Anthrax, plague and tularemia are three potent agents terrorists would be likely to use in an attack, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Each is highly and quickly lethal to humans. But there are no licensed vaccines for tularemia and plague, and although there is an anthrax vaccine, it requires a burdensome immunization schedule and has severe side effects.Now, a UCLA-led group of researchers may have found a solution that, if found to be safe and effective in humans, could protect people from all three bacteria. The team used molecular engineering to develop vaccines against each that use a common delivery method, or “single vector,” to carry protective antigens to the immune system.The findings were published May 3 in Scientific Reports.“Relying on currently available antibiotics to counter an intentional outbreak of anthrax, plague or tularemia is not a pragmatic public health plan — vaccines offer the only practical protection,” said Dr. Marcus Horwitz, the study’s senior author and a distinguished professor of medicine a nd of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics at theDavid Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.“Vaccines utilizing a single vector that could be administered concurrently and protect against all three pathogens would be more acceptable to people than multiple unrelated vaccines requiring different immunization schedules, and be less costly because they would be simpler to manufacture.”  The delivery vehicl...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news