This study investigated the genetic bases of attenuation in the Bacillus anthracis vaccine strain "Carbosap" used in Italy against anthrax in cattle and sheep. Twelve genes involved in virulence regulatory pathways underwent sequence analysis in comparison with a B. anthracis virulent strain.

The licensed anthrax vaccine and many of the new anthrax vaccines being developed are based on protective antigen (PA), a nontoxic component of anthrax toxin. For this reason, an understanding of the immune response to PA vaccination is important. In this study, we examined the antibody response elicited by PA-based vaccines and identified the domains of PA that contribute to that response in h...

The generation of protective humoral immune responses against the receptor-binding domain (domain IV) of protective antigen [PA(dIV)] of Bacillus anthracis represents a plausible approach against anthrax toxin. In the current study, we have developed a naked DNA vaccine encoding calreticulin (CRT) linked to PA(dIV) of Bacillus anthracis [CRT/PA(dIV)]. We transfected a human embryonic kidney cel...

Anthrax toxin consists of three proteins: protective antigen (PA), lethal factor (LF) and edema factor (EF). PA in combination with LF (lethal toxin) is lethal to mammalian cells and is the major component of human anthrax vaccine. Immunization with PA elicits the production of neutralizing antibodies that form a major component of the protective immunity against anthrax. Recent reports have sh...

In the United States, over the past half century, we have lived under the protective umbrella of vaccination programs that shield our population from a dozen serious and sometimes fatal naturally transmitted illnesses. Vaccination has been the single most cost-effective public health intervention. However, the value of vaccines in protecting the population against the deliberate release of infe...

Existing licensed anthrax vaccines are administered parenterally and require multiple doses to induce protective immunity. This requires trained personnel and is not the optimum route for stimulating a mucosal immune response. Microencapsulation of vaccine antigens offers a number of advantages over traditional vaccine formulations, including stability without refrigeration and the potential fo...

Vaccines that can rapidly induce strong and robust antibody-mediated immunity could improve protection from certain infectious diseases for which current vaccine formulations are inefficient. For indications such as anthrax and influenza, antibody production in vivo is a correlate of efficacy. Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists are frequently studied for their role as vaccine adjuvants, largely ...