title: The rationale of a peptide-conjugate vaccine against measles.
abstract: The live-attenuated measles vaccine is poorly immunogenic in infants because of immune suppressive maternal antibodies and immaturity of the infant's immune system. Selected peptides corresponding to sequential, subdominant B cell epitopes of measles virus (MV) glycoproteins have been shown to induce neutralizing and protective antibodies even in the presence of whole virus antibodies. Similar to polysaccharide-conjugate vaccines, which are highly effective in infants a peptide-conjugate vaccine against measles is proposed. Such a vaccine induces carrier-specific T cells, avoiding measles-specific Th2 cells associated with the risk of atypical measles. This article discusses the rationale of such a strategy and its future potential.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, PO Box 1102, 20A Rue Auguste Lumière, 1950, Luxembourg, Luxembourg.
authors.forename: Mike M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Pütz
authors.forename: Claude P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Muller
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D008457:Measles / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008458:Measles Vaccine / Q000276:immunology; D010455:Peptides / Q000276:immunology*; D018074:Vaccines, Conjugate / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D008458:Measles Vaccine; D010455:Peptides; D018074:Vaccines, Conjugate