Research progress in epitope vaccines against influenza

Abstract

Influenza is a highly infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. There are three types of influenza viruses; A, B and C. Influenza A and B are both common causes of acute respiratory illnesses in humans. These two types, especially influenza A viruses, are considered the major cause of seasonal epidemics and pandemics. Novel influenza vaccines aiming at overcoming the shortcomings associated with the current vaccine are needed. New vaccines may prevent and cure the disease through proper epitope design and induce specific antibody and cytotoxic T cells after inoculation. Animal experiments indicate that epitope-based vaccines will be effective against many strains of influenza virus. More researches need to be carried out for the purpose of overcoming problems during their use, which makes epitope-based vaccines safe and have a significant impact on the disease, as the worldwide health threatening nowadays, in all target populations. Key words: Influenza vaccines; Epitopes; M2e; Flagellin