( l-like-receptor proteins. Although com...)Radiation-killed bacteria vaccine induces broad immune response in mice

l-like-receptor proteins. "Although completely inactivated by the radiation, and thus unable to cause illness, irradiated bacterial pathogens evidently retain characteristics that prompt the immune system to mount a full-fledged defense," says Dr. Datta, the study's lead author. "In this respect, irradiated pathogens more closely mimic the body's response to a live, attenuated vaccine."

Finally, the scientists found that mice could be protected by vaccination with irradiated Listeria that had been freeze-dried into a powder. This point is potentially of great practical importance, notes Dr. Raz. A serious drawback of live, attenuated vaccines is that they must be kept refrigerated at all times: if the "cold chain" is broken, the vaccine is liable to spoil and become useless. In countries with reliable electricity, maintaining the cold chain is rarely a problem. The same is not true in less developed countries. Vaccines made from whole, irradiated bacteria, freeze-dried into an easy-to-transport powder, could be reconstituted just before use, explains Dr. Raz, thereby eliminating the cold chain requirement.

It is also possible that a strategy based on irradiation-inactivated whole pathogens could rapidly yield vaccines against such bacterial diseases as typhoid, cholera, tuberculosis and other diseases of public health concern, such as intestinal parasites. This strategy might also be deployed in the event of epidemic outbreaks or against bioterrorist attacks, says Dr. Raz.

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Source:NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases


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