title: Progress in recombinant DNA-derived vaccines for Lassa virus and filoviruses.
abstract: Developing vaccines for highly pathogenic viruses such as those causing Lassa, Ebola, and Marburg hemorrhagic fevers is a daunting task due to both scientific and logistical constraints. Scientific hurdles to overcome include poorly defined relationships between pathogenicity and protective immune responses, genetic diversity of viruses, and safety in a target population that includes a large number of individuals with compromised immune systems. Logistical obstacles include the requirement for biosafety level-4 containment to study the authentic viruses, the poor public health infrastructure of the endemic disease areas, and the cost of developing these vaccines for use in non-lucrative markets. Recombinant DNA-based vaccine approaches offer promise of overcoming some of these issues. In this review, we consider the status of various recombinant DNA candidate vaccines against Lassa virus and filoviruses which have been tested in animals.
authors.affiliation: U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702, USA.
authors.forename: Rebecca J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Grant-Klein
authors.forename: Louis A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Altamura
authors.forename: Connie S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Schmaljohn
mesh_terms: D000256:Adenoviridae / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D029043:Ebolavirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000276:immunology; D019142:Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D007835:Lassa Fever / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007836:Lassa virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D008379:Marburg Virus Disease / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D029024:Marburgvirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D010957:Plasmids / Q000276:immunology; D011634:Public Health; D014611:Vaccination; D019444:Vaccines, DNA / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D058425:Vaccines, Virus-Like Particle / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D018116:Vesiculovirus / Q000276:immunology; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D019444:Vaccines, DNA; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic; D058425:Vaccines, Virus-Like Particle; D014765:Viral Vaccines