Plague vaccine research and development

Abstract

A fully recombinant subunit vaccine is described which provides enhanced protection against bubonic plague and a new prophylactic against the pneumonic form of the disease. The vaccine comprises two subunit antigens termed F1 and V which are individually immunogenic and protective and have additive protective effect in combination. The vaccine has been demonstrated efficacious in small animal models, including a strain of mice with a targeted gene deletion for interleukin 4 (IL4T mice). The mechanism of protection conferred by the vaccine is principally antibody-mediated and antibody titre to F1+V in the mouse correlates with protection. Surrogate markers of efficacy in man have been identified and will be applied to support clinical trialling of the vaccine. This vaccine could be used to counter bubonic and pneumonic plague in areas of the world where the disease is endemic.