Passive antibody administration (immediate immunity) as a specific defense against biological weapons.

Arturo Casadevall

doi:10.3201/eid0808.010516

Abstract

The potential threat of biological warfare with a specific agent is proportional to the susceptibility of the population to that agent. Preventing disease after exposure to a biological agent is partially a function of the immunity of the exposed individual. The only available countermeasure that can provide immediate immunity against a biological agent is passive antibody. Unlike vaccines, which require time to induce protective immunity and depend on the host’s ability to mount an immune response, passive antibody can theoretically confer protection regardless of the immune status of the host. Passive antibody therapy has substantial advantages over antimicrobial agents and other measures for postexposure prophylaxis, including low toxicity and high specific activity. Specific antibodies are active against the major agents of bioterrorism, including anthrax, smallpox, botulinum toxin, tularemia, and plague. This article proposes a biological defense initiative based on developing, producing, and stockpiling specific antibody reagents that can be used to protect the population against biological warfare threats.

Highlights

Defense strategies against biological weapons include such measures as enhanced epidemiologic surveillance, vaccination, and use of antimicrobial agents, with the important caveat that the final line of defense is the immune system of the exposed individual
There has been a renaissance in the use of antibodies for therapy: 10 monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) are currently licensed and dozens are in the developmental pipeline [4]
Anthrax virulence is determined by two toxins known as lethal factor (LF) and edema factor (EF)

Summary

Introduction

Defense strategies against biological weapons include such measures as enhanced epidemiologic surveillance, vaccination, and use of antimicrobial agents, with the important caveat that the final line of defense is the immune system of the exposed individual. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently proposed generating antibody preparations for human therapeutic use from serum of persons vaccinated for anthrax [14]. Given the side effects associated with the use of equine sera, there is great interest in the generation of human antibody preparations with neutralizing activity against the seven botulinum toxins [16].

Results

Conclusion