Combo Vaccines Show Promise against Bird Flu

Scientific American ^ | May 23, 2006 | NA

[neverdem]

More than 150 million birds have been killed by various strains of avian flu, according to the World Health Organization. Outbreaks in Asia and Europe have only been contained by wiping out poultry flocks. Various vaccines to date have proven ineffective or difficult to administer. But now two independent groups of researchers have shown that incorporating the proteins of various strains of bird flu into an existing virus vaccine can yield effective protection for birds.

Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is a bird killer that has been controlled by routine vaccination in the developed world. Molecular biologist Angela Römer-Oberdörfer of the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut in Germany and her colleagues inserted a gene controlling expression of a key flu protein into NDV's genome. The resulting vaccine proved nonlethal in chicks and provoked NDV and flu antibodies in 92 percent of inoculated chickens after three weeks. Vaccinated chickens proved immune to infection by NDV and the H5N2 flu strain that provided the original gene. Naive chickens exposed to either disease invariably died.

Microbiologist Peter Palese of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and his colleagues achieved similar results with a different strain of bird flu: H7N7. Their vaccine protected 100 percent of the birds against NDV and 90 percent against H7N7. Both vaccines also have the benefit of producing antibodies that are easy to test for, making it simple to ensure that no unvaccinated birds harbor the viruses within a flock.

NDV vaccines can be administered via drinking water, making these combined virus vaccines an effective and potentially inexpensive means of fighting the diseases. And although another strain--H5N1--is creating the most concern for humans, the approach should prove applicable to any variety of flu. "By reverse genetics, a new recombinant NDV carrying [a protein] derived from a currently circulating field strain [of flu] could be generated in roughly four to five weeks," Römer-Oberdörfer and her colleagues write. "This technique enables the construction of tailor-made matching vaccine in a very short period." Both papers are being published online this week by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[kinoxi]

this bird flu deal is turning into a multi-billion dollar (research) windfall. where have i seen this before...

[coconutt2000]

Breast cancer.

[MarMema]

Polyclonal vaccines will also be the most effective for humans, if needed.

[kinoxi]

Unfortunately still no cure. This is coming out of the UN so I was thinking more along the lines of global warming/kyoto... their cover is blown so here is the next crisis. Pay us .

[neverdem]

Officials 'stumped' by Indonesian bird flu

1 000s quarantined in Bucharest (re: avian flu)

Serotonin and Depression: A Disconnect between the Advertisements and the Scientific Literature

FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list. Anyone can post any unposted link as they see fit.

[MarMema]

Dang, the Romanian people have had enough. I hate it that they are dealing with this too.

Pascha pics were so sad with tents and homeless people.

[Smokin' Joe]

ping

[exhaustedmomma]

Thanks for the ping and link to 1 000s quarantined in Bucharest (re: avian flu)!!

[Battle Axe]

While waiting at the hospital, I read in the local paper that there are several "family clusters". Everyone in the family contracted and died from Bird Flu.....except the spouses!!!!

This means that the blood relations had some sort of a predisposition to contract the BF and the spouses, obviously living with and eating the same things as those that died, were resistant.