title: Rabbit and nonhuman primate models of toxin-targeting human anthrax vaccines.
abstract: The intentional use of Bacillus anthracis, the etiological agent of anthrax, as a bioterrorist weapon in late 2001 made our society acutely aware of the importance of developing, testing, and stockpiling adequate countermeasures against biological attacks. Biodefense vaccines are an important component of our arsenal to be used during a biological attack. However, most of the agents considered significant threats either have been eradicated or rarely infect humans alive today. As such, vaccine efficacy cannot be determined in human clinical trials but must be extrapolated from experimental animal models. This article reviews the efficacy and immunogenicity of human anthrax vaccines in well-defined animal models and the progress toward developing a rugged immunologic correlate of protection. The ongoing evaluation of human anthrax vaccines will be dependent on animal efficacy data in the absence of human efficacy data for licensure by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Biosciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210-1093, USA. Phipps.16@osu.edu
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Phipps
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Premanandan
authors.forename: Roy E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Barnewall
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Lairmore
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000881:Anthrax / Q000517:prevention & control*; D022122:Anthrax Vaccines / Q000276:immunology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D008253:Macaca mulatta / Q000276:immunology; D011817:Rabbits / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D022122:Anthrax Vaccines