Abstract
The lethality of infectious diseases has decreased due to the implementation of crucial sanitary procedures such as vaccination. However, the resurgence of pathogenic diseases in different parts of the world has revealed the importance of identifying novel, rapid, and concrete solutions for control and prevention. Edible vaccines pose an interesting alternative that could overcome some of the constraints of traditional vaccines. The term “edible vaccine” refers to the use of edible parts of a plant that has been genetically modified to produce specific components of a particular pathogen to generate protection against a disease. The aim of this review is to present and critically examine “edible vaccines” as an option for global immunization against pathogenic diseases and their outbreaks and to discuss the necessary steps for their production and control and the list of plants that may already be used as edible vaccines. Additionally, this review discusses the required standards and ethical regulations as well as the advantages and disadvantages associated with this powerful biotechnology tool.
Highlights
The Current State of VaccinationInfectious diseases account for more than 54% of total mortality in developing countries, where vaccines are the most effective means of prevention [1,2]
The aim of this review is to provide an overview of edible vaccines to assess their potential as real functional foods for helping to control and prevent pathogenic diseases and outbreaks in remote areas and on longer time scales
Edible vaccines represent a valuable solution to treating certain diseases whose control and prevention is restricted by the inherent limitations of traditional vaccines, such as their production costs, storage requirements, and expensive logistics
Summary
Infectious diseases account for more than 54% of total mortality in developing countries, where vaccines are the most effective means of prevention [1,2]. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of edible vaccines to assess their potential as real functional foods for helping to control and prevent pathogenic diseases and outbreaks in remote areas and on longer time scales. This overview discusses the types of edible vaccines, how they are developed and evaluated, their advantages, disadvantages, challenges for their producers, consumer populations, and vaccine distributors. Because most edible vaccines currently being developed and tested in animals are not for diseases associated with recent outbreaks, the feasibility of expanding edible vaccines studies to those diseases with more recent outbreaks is discussed
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