Emerging viruses and current strategies for vaccine intervention

• Published in: Clinical and experimental immunology Vol. 196; no. 2; pp. 157 - 166
• Main Authors: Afrough, B., Dowall, S., Hewson, R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Oxford University Press 01.05.2019; John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies, Viral - immunology; Epidemics; Global health; Health risks; Human populations; Humans; Infections; molecular biology; Replication; Review; vaccination; Vaccination - methods; Vaccine development; Vaccines; Vaccines for Emerging Pathogens: from Research to the Clinic. Part 1. Series Editor: E Diane Williamson; viral; Viral diseases; Viral infections; Viral Vaccines - immunology; Virus Diseases - immunology; Viruses; Viruses - immunology; molecular biology; viral; vaccination
• ISSN: 0009-9104; 1365-2249
• DOI: 10.1111/cei.13295

Summary During the past decade several notable viruses have suddenly emerged from obscurity or anonymity to become serious global health threats, provoking concern regarding their sustained epidemic transmission in immunologically naive human populations. With each new threat comes the call for rapid vaccine development. Indeed, vaccines are considered a critical component of disease prevention for emerging viral infections because, in many cases, other medical options are limited or non‐existent, or that infections result in such a rapid clinical deterioration that the effectiveness of therapeutics is limited. While classic approaches to vaccine development are still amenable to emerging viruses, the application of molecular techniques in virology has profoundly influenced our understanding of virus biology, and vaccination methods based on replicating, attenuated and non‐replicating virus vector approaches have become useful vaccine platforms. Together with a growing understanding of viral disease emergence, a range of vaccine strategies and international commitment to underpin development, vaccine intervention for new and emerging viruses may become a possibility. The application of molecular techniques in virology has profoundly influenced our understanding of virus biology. Vaccination methods based on replicating, attenuated and non‐replicating virus vector approaches have become useful vaccine platforms. Together with a growing understanding of viral disease emergence, a range of vaccine strategies and international commitment to underpin development, vaccine intervention for new and emerging viruses may become a possibility.