Chapter 17 - Edible vaccines: Current scenario and future prospects

Abstract

Vaccines play a vital role in the prevention of many infectious diseases. The conventional methods of vaccine production and vaccination have certain obstacles. The concept of edible vaccines came into existence in the 1990s with the thought of overcoming the obstacles of the conventional method. The rDNA technology, particularly Agrobacterium-based transformation of plant cells is employed in the production of edible vaccines. Commercial crops such as banana, potato, rice, tomato spinach, and others have been genetically modified to express the antigen capable of eliciting an immune response. There is so much research progress in developing edible vaccines against pathogenic diseases such as measles, hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus, acute gastrointestinal illness, AIDS, anthrax, and cholera. Research on the second-generation edible vaccines in terms of multi-subunit antigen proteins targeting more than one disease simultaneously has also been initiated. Despite there are many advantages, edible vaccines are not without any limitations. There is hope for overcoming these limitations and in the future days, edible vaccines will be an effective strategy in the mass eradication of infectious diseases.