Notice of CDC's discontinuation of investigational pentavalent (ABCDE) botulinum toxoid vaccine for workers at risk for occupational exposure to botulinum toxins.

Effective November 30, 2011, CDC will no longer provide investigational pentavalent (ABCDE) botulinum toxoid (PBT) for vaccination of workers at risk for occupational exposure to botulinum serotypes A, B, C, D, and E. This change might affect persons working in public health laboratories, research facilities, and manufacturing institutions who work with botulinum toxin or neurotoxin-producing species of Clostridium. CDC's decision is based on an assessment of the available data, which indicate a decline in immunogenicity of some of the toxin serotypes. The occurrence of moderate local reactions related to annual booster doses also has increased, which was noted in the 1990s at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases and resulted in a change in boosting from an annual requirement to only boosting when antibody titers have declined significantly. Additionally, the PBT was manufactured more than 30 years ago. CDC, therefore, has decided not to continue offering this investigational product.

Current availability of vaccines including vaccine banks.

Avian influenza can be considered one of the greatest global challenges the animal health sector has ever had to face. It is primarily a disease of animals and must be effectively managed by the veterinary community. Infection of humans in contact with the H5N1 virus continues to occur, however, with the possibility of mutations or re-assortment and the ever-present threat of the emergence of a pandemic. Therefore, whatever measures can be taken when outbreaks of avian influenza occur to reduce the amount of virus in circulation and potential human exposure must be reviewed constantly. Conventional methods for controlling diseases of epizootic proportions, such as avian influenza, have tended to rely on bio-security and culling (stamping out) of enormous numbers of animals. Such approaches might not be adequate in areas of intensive animal husbandry, and society is questioning more and more the ethics of slaughtering millions of animals. The costs and economic impact of this strategy also has a considerable effect on the economy of the country or region in which the disease outbreak occurs.

Challenges confronting feline vaccination.

Vaccination continues to be a major tool for controlling feline infectious diseases, but numerous factors present both challenges and opportunities for maintaining and expanding the market for veterinary biologicals. Developing novel vaccines is one approach, but in most cases the market for such products will be restricted to niche populations; the comparatively smaller quantity of vaccines sold may be offset somewhat if available from a limited number of manufacturers. A second approach is to produce better formulations of existing vaccines; such products would be applicable to larger populations of cats and have greater sales potential. But veterinarians must be convinced of the improved product's superiority for it to be successful in the marketplace. To ensure that high-quality, useful and necessary vaccines reach the marketplace, communication between veterinarians, the manufacturers of biologicals, and regulatory agencies must be enhanced.

[Malaria vaccines--which vaccines to whom?]. / Malariavaksiner--hvilke vaksiner til hvem?

More than a third of the world's population is at risk of contracting malaria. It is estimated that 200 people, primarily children in Africa, die of malaria every hour of every day all year round. Malaria is one of the main obstacles to socio-economic development in Africa. Vaccines against malaria are considered to be the control tool most in need of development. Fundamentally there are three types of malaria vaccines: vaccines against the invading sporozoite or the parasite's development in the liver cells, vaccines directed against the parasite's invasion of and development in the red blood cells; vaccines directed against the fertilisation process in the mosquito. Each malaria vaccine has its own area of application. In spite of promising results in animals it has been difficult to reproduce the results in clinical trials in humans. Recently, however, an experimental vaccine containing a sporozoite protein coupled to a hepatitis B surface molecule with a new adjuvant has been tested in Gambia. The results of these tests are promising, but it is unlikely that the vaccine will be of use in endemic areas. Increased focus on one of the world's biggest health problems has to a certain extent promoted the funding of development work on malaria vaccines. Despite minimal interest from the pharmaceutical industry, a number of experimental vaccines for clinical phase I trials are on their way. However, it will take a huge increase in public financial resources to secure effective and safe malaria vaccines for those most in need of them: people in developing countries and particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Experience with veterinary vaccines in warm climates.

After a short description of the African laboratories manufacturing veterinary vaccines, the authors explain the main constraints for the use, in the field, of veterinary vaccines in warm climates. The need to respect the cold chain from the supplier of vaccines to the recipient animal is emphasised. In the Ivory Coast, during national vaccination campaigns, it has been proved that the quality of the rinderpest and contagious bovine pleuropneumonia vaccines is satisfactory when there is no disruption in the cold transport services. The data of this survey are exposed. In the framework of a project entitled "Thermostable rinderpest Vaccine, Transfer of Technology", a thermostable vaccine has been developed. It is manufactured in different African laboratories and integrated in some Pan African Rinderpest Campaign (PARC) vaccination programmes. On the other hand, the prospects offered by new thermotolerant attenuated vaccines against Newcastle disease are exposed. Finally, the authors present an outlook on the development of thermoresistant veterinary vaccines, such as those produced by genetic engineering, in particular with pox virus vectors.

Development and production aspects of a recombinant yeast-derived hepatitis B vaccine.

Any attempt to control or eradicate hepatitis B on a global scale requires the availability of large quantities of effective, safe and affordable hepatitis B vaccine. The drawbacks of the first generation of plasma-derived vaccines--poor acceptance, relatively high cost, limited availability--have led to the search for alternative means of producing hepatitis B vaccines. This article reviews the development and production of a yeast-derived vaccine based on recombinant DNA technology and discusses potency, stability and potential availability for use in the implementation of vaccination programmes.

New vaccines.

New technology is allowing the development of more effective and safer vaccines to replace old vaccines and provide protection against a wider range of diseases. The worldwide priority, however, must be to increase the uptake of existing vaccines to reduce childhood mortality and morbidity.