Table of Contents

Volume 3, Issue 3

  May/June 2007

  Pages 71 - 105

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 Issue Catalogue (MARC XML)

LETTER

Open Access Article

Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine

Subhash Arya and Nirmala Agarwal
Pages 71 - 72
http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/hv.3.3.4057
Abstract | PDF

No Abstract




REVIEWS

Open Access Article

Scrub Typhus Vaccines: Past History and Recent Developments

Suchismita Chattopadhyay and Allen L. Richards
Pages 73 - 80
http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/hv.3.3.4009
Abstract | PDF

Scrub typhus, an acute, febrile and potentially fatal disease, caused by infection with the obligate intracellular bacterium Orientia tsutsugamushi, is commonly seen in the Asia-Pacific region. This disease can be handled successfully with rapid diagnosis, proper antibiotic treatment, and rodent and chigger control. However, recent reports of scrub typhus outbreaks in endemic areas, and a decreased effectiveness of antibiotic treatment suggest a continued need for a suitable vaccine. This review describes the early and recent attempts in making prophylactic preparations to prevent scrub typhus, the successes and failures of these attempts, and future directions of scrub typhus vaccine development.

Open Access Article

Flavivirus Molecular Biology in the 21st Century

Alan D.T. Barrett
Pages 81 - 82
http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/hv.3.3.4139
Abstract | PDF

Not available




RESEARCH PAPERS

Open Access Article

Predictors of Pneumococcal Vaccination Uptake in Hospitalized Patients Aged 65 Years and Over Shortly Following the Commencement of a Publicly Funded National Pneumococcal Vaccination Program in Australia

Iman Ridda, Raina C. MacIntyre, Richard I. Lindley, Peter B. McIntyre, John Sullivan, Gwendolyn Gilbert, Pramesh Kovoor, Nicholas Manolios and John Fox
Pages 83 - 86
http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/hv.3.3.3925
Abstract | PDF

In January 2005, Australia became the first country to introduce a publicly funded pneumococcal vaccination program for persons 65 years and older which is free at point of service, although the vaccine cost had previously been partially subsidised. Hospitalisation in this age group is an important indicator of risk of invasive pneumococcal disease but vaccine uptake has been suboptimal.
To determine vaccination rates and predictors of vaccination in the elderly hospitalised patients before and after January 2005. We validated vaccination status against general practitioner (GP) records for patients aged ≥65 years admitted to a large teaching hospital in Sydney between 16th of May 2005 and the 20th of February 2006 and examined predictors of vaccination Commencement of the new program resulted in a significant increase in vaccination uptake from 39% of inpatients prior to the free program to 73% in the same cohort of inpatients post January 2005.
We found that patient recall of vaccination status was not reliable. Self-report of pneumococcal vaccination had a sensitivity of 0.53 and a specificity of 0.55, highlighting that validation of vaccination status is required. Age over 80 years and dementia significantly predicted under-vaccination.
This highlights the importance of integrating free vaccine supply and delivery in primary care to achieve high vaccination coverage. However, demented patients and the very elderly remain under-vaccinated, despite being admitted to hospital for active management of acute conditions.

Open Access Article

Assessing the Safety of Post-exposure Rabies Immunization in Pregnancy

Mysore Kalappa Sudarshan, M.S. Ananda Giri, Bangalore J. Mahendra, G.M. Venkatesh, Thitamaranahalli V. Sanjay, D.H. Ashwath Narayana and H.S. Ravish
Pages 87 - 89
http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/hv.3.3.4010
Abstract | PDF

Fourteen pregnant women who received rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) at the anti-rabies clinic (ARC) of Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) were followed up for assessing the safety of modern rabies vaccines and equine rabies immunoglobulin (ERIG) in pregnancy. The women were in the age range of 18-28 years, mostly from urban area (64%) and exposed to suspect rabid dogs (86%). They had received purified vero cell rabies vaccine (Verorab=8 & Abhayrab= 4), purified chick embryo cell vaccine (Rabipur=2) by Essen regimen; and equine rabies immunoglobulin (Equirab=7 & Pasteur anti-rabies serum=1). None of the pregnant women reported any adverse events to either vaccine or equine rabies immunoglobulin. All had safe vaginal deliveries and in all cases both the mother and the child were found to be healthy and normal.

Open Access Article

Intranasal Administration of Dry Powder Anthrax Vaccine Provides Protection Against Lethal Aerosol Spore Challenge

Joanne Huang, John A. Mikszta, Matthew S. Ferriter, Ge Jiang, Noel G. Harvey, Beverly Dyas, Chad J. Roy, Robert G. Ulrich and Vincent J. Sullivan
Pages 90 - 93
http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/hv.3.3.4011
Abstract | PDF

The use of an aerosolizable form of anthrax as a biological weapon is considered to be among the most serious bioterror threats. Intranasal (IN) delivery of a dry powder anthrax vaccine could provide an effective and non-invasive administration alternative to traditional intramuscular (IM) or subcutaneous (SC) injection. We evaluated a dry powder vaccine based on the recombinant Protective Antigen (rPA) of Bacillus anthracis for vaccination against anthrax via IN immunization in a rabbit model. rPA powders were formulated and administered IN using a prototype powder delivery device. We compared serum IgG and toxin neutralizing antibody (TNA) titers of rabbits immunized IN with 10 μg rPA of a powder formulation with those immunized with the same dose of liquid rPA vaccine, delivered either IN or by IM injection. In addition, each group was tested for survival after aerosol spore challenge. Our results showed that IN vaccination with rPA powders elicited serum PA-specific IgG and TNA titers that were equivalent to those raised by liquid rPA administered IN. Serum PA-specific IgG and TNA titers after IN delivery were lower than for IM injection, however, after aerosol spore challenge, rabbits immunized IN with powders displayed 100% protection versus 63% for the group immunized IN with the liquid vaccine and 86% for the group immunized by IM injection. The results suggest that an IN powder vaccine based on rPA is at least as protective as a liquid delivered by IM injection.

Open Access Article

High-throughput screening of stabilizers for Respiratory Syncytial Virus: Identification of stabilizers and their effects on the conformational thermostability of viral particles

Salvador F. Ausar, Marianela Espina, Julie Brock, Nagarajan Thyagarayapuran, Robert Repetto, Lakshmi Khandke and C. Russell Middaugh
Pages 94 - 103
http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/hv.3.3.4149
Abstract | PDF

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of severe respiratory infection in children worldwide. Recombinant live attenuated viral preparations are one of the most promising strategies for vaccination but they typically possess poor thermostability. In this work, a library of compounds was screened and stabilizers were selected based on their ability to inhibit the aggregation of RSV perturbed at 56 °C. After screening and selection of excipients, the conformational stability of the RSV proteins was evaluated in the presence of potential stabilizers. The secondary and tertiary structures as well as aggregation/dissociation of RSV were monitored using circular dichroism and second derivative UV absorption spectroscopies and light scattering, respectively, as a function of temperature (10-90 °C). RSV membrane fluidity was also evaluated by generalized polarization of Laurdan fluorescence. Screening experiments showed that a variety of sugars, amino acids, polyols and polyanions inhibited the aggregation of viral particles. Conformational stability studies demonstrated that the addition of sugars and polyols stabilized RSV as indicated by a significant increase in the transition melting temperature (Tm) of both the secondary and tertiary structures as well as the gel to liquid crystalline membrane transition. These results should provide the basis for rational development of more physically stable formulations of live attenuated RSV vaccines.




COMMENTARY

Open Access Article

Positive Vaccination Markers

Robert Root-Bernstein
Pages 104 - 105
http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/hv.3.3.4138
Abstract | PDF

Not available