Intranasal delivery of a protein subunit vaccine using a Tobacco Mosaic Virus platform protects against pneumonic plague.

ABSTRACT: Yersinia pestis, one of history's deadliest pathogens, has killed millions over the course of human history. It has attributes that make it an ideal choice to produce mass casualties and is a prime candidate for use as a biological weapon. When aerosolized, Y. pestis causes pneumonic plague, a pneumonia that is 100% lethal if not promptly treated with effective antibiotics. Currently, there is no FDA approved plague vaccine. The current lead vaccine candidate, a parenterally administered protein subunit vaccine comprised of the Y. pestis virulence factors, F1 and LcrV, demonstrated variable levels of protection in primate pneumonic plague models. As the most likely mode of exposure in biological attack with Y. pestis is by aerosol, this raises a question of whether this parenteral vaccine

SUBMITTER: Arnaboldi PM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5109979 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature