Health
Defective antibodies from RSV vaccine
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Jan. 5, 2009
Immunizations given in 1966 to infants to protect against the respiratory syncytial virus were ineffective because the antibodies generated did not bind to this pathogen, according to a paper published online Dec. 14, 2008, in Nature Medicine.
The hunt for an effective RSV vaccine has been stymied because those who received this version got sicker when exposed to the virus.
The study authors suggest this research will lead to safer vaccines.
"We have found the root cause of the problem, and in doing so we have uncovered clues that will help us design even safer and more effective vaccines in the future," said Fernando Polack, MD, senior investigator and an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/01/05/hlbf0105.htm.
