Modern Development and Production of a New Live Attenuated Bacterial Vaccine, SCHU S4 ΔclpB, to Prevent Tularemia.

ABSTRACT: Inhalation of small numbers of Francisella tularensis subspecies tularensis (Ftt) in the form of small particle aerosols causes severe morbidity and mortality in people and many animal species. For this reason, Ftt was developed into a bona fide biological weapon by the USA, by the former USSR, and their respective allies during the previous century. Although such weapons were never deployed, the 9/11 attack quickly followed by the Amerithrax attack led the U.S. government to seek novel countermeasures against a select group of pathogens, including Ftt. Between 2005-2009, we pursued a novel live vaccine against Ftt by deleting putative virulence genes from a fully virulent strain of the pathogen, SCHU S4. These mutants were screened in a mouse model, in which the vaccine candidates were fi

SUBMITTER: Conlan JW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8308573 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature