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Review
. 2006 Jan;12(1):66-72.
doi: 10.3201/eid1201.051147.

Vaccines for pandemic influenza

Catherine J Luke  1 , Kanta Subbarao
Affiliations
Review

Vaccines for pandemic influenza

Catherine J Luke et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2006 Jan.

Abstract

Recent outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Asia and associated human infections have led to a heightened level of awareness and preparation for a possible influenza pandemic. Vaccination is the best option by which spread of a pandemic virus could be prevented and severity of disease reduced. Production of live attenuated and inactivated vaccine seed viruses against avian influenza viruses, which have the potential to cause pandemics, and their testing in preclinical studies and clinical trials will establish the principles and ensure manufacturing experience that will be critical in the event of the emergence of such a virus into the human population. Studies of such vaccines will also add to our understanding of the biology of avian influenza viruses and their behavior in mammalian hosts.

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Figures

Figure
Figure
A) The 8-plasmid reverse genetics system to generate recombinant, live, attenuated pandemic influenza vaccines. Six plasmids encoding the internal genes of the attenuated donor virus are mixed with 2 plasmids encoding the circulating avian virus hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes (which may or may not have been modified to remove virulence motifs). Qualified cells are transfected with the plasmids, and the attenuated reassortant virus is isolated. B). Generation of live, attenuated pandemic influenza vaccine viruses with the 6 internal genes from the attenuated donor virus bearing attenuating mutations (*) and the HA and NA genes from the circulating avian virus by classic reassortment. The 6-2 reassortants generated by this method are selected in the presence of antiserum specific for HA and NA of the attenuated donor virus.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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