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Combo Vaccines Developed Against Bird Flu
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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 Dutch researchers demonstrated last year a vaccine's ability to prevent the spread of infection in birds. They reported in November that two different vaccines were each able to block transmission of the virus. But their vaccines were designed for the H7N7 strain, not the H5N1 strain that is thought to pose the risk to humans.
The two new genetically engineered vaccines protect against the H5N1 strain.
Joseph Giambrone, a professor of poultry science at Auburn University, called the new vaccines "a solution, but not the whole solution."
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"It's a good one, because you also get protection against Newcastle disease," he said. "But you probably would have to vaccinate the birds more than once, because you only get partial protection the first time."
The reason for the partial response is that the immune systems of young birds carry antibodies from their mothers that reduce the response to the vaccine, Giambrone said.
One encouraging development in the campaign to thwart an avian flu pandemic in humans is that studies of birds in the wild show they aren't spreading the virus, as has been feared, Giambrone said. International health officials reported this month that migratory birds that flew south to Africa and then back to Europe did not spread the virus during their annual journey.
More information
Get the latest on bird flu from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov ).
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Copyright © 2006 ScoutNews LLC. All rights reserved.
Last updated 5/22/2006
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SOURCES: Peter Palese, Ph.D., chairman, department of microbiology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York City; Joseph Giambrone, Ph.D., professor, poultry science, Auburn University, Auburn, Ala.; May 22-26, 2006, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
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