Inactivated recombinant plant vaccine protects dogs from
PARVO.
Plant
based vaccines are the emerging new trend in vaccinology.
Prophylactic measures for the control of canine viral haemorrhagic
gastroenteritis too are developing a recombinant plant based
approach. The results of yet another interesting approach
to prophylaxis are out.
Langeveld
et al at the Institute for Animal Science and Health, the
Netherlands have carried out a study where the antigenic
component of the parvovirus vaccine - CPMV-PARVO1 was inactivated
by UV treatment. The difference between the present and
earlier studies is that earlier plant based transgenic vaccines
were developed using viable plant chimaeric particles (CVPs)
for immunisation. The results of the present study carried
out by Langeveld and colleagues at the Institute for Animal
Science and Health (ID-Lelystad), Netherlands are encouraging.
The
investigators found that parenteral administration of the
new vaccine effectively protected dogs from parvovirus infection,
even against lethal challenge with CPV. The investigators
report that vaccinated dogs stayed healthy with high titres
of peptide-specific antibody, which neutralized CPV in vitro.
Langeveld and his team have noted that levels of protection,
virus shedding and VP2-specific antibody were at par with
that seen in dogs immunized with the same VP2- peptide coupled
to keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH).
The
results of this study give new hope for effective control
of infectious canine viral gastroenteritis, a major cause
of mortality and morbidity in canines worldwide. Development
of the novel plant based vaccine offers an effective, low
cost solution to the control of a very contagious, highly
virulent disease in dogs. Inactivation of the antigenic
component totally eliminates the risk of any likelihood
of viral activation within host and thus represents a major
advancement in developing an effective prophylaxis in the
management of infectious canine gastroenteritis.
Reference for further reading:
Vaccine 2001 Jun 14;19(27):3661-70. Inactivated recombinant
plant virus protects dogs from a lethal challenge with canine
parvovirus. Langeveld JP, Brennan FR, Martinez-Torrecuadrada
JL, Jones TD, Boshuizen RS, Vela C, Casal JI, Kamstrup S,
Dalsgaard K, Meloen RH, Bendig MM, Hamilton WD. Institute
for Animal Science and Health (ID-Lelystad), PO Box 65 NL-8200
AB, Lelystad, The Netherlands.
