Should the Human Microbiome Be Considered When Developing Vaccines?

Rosana B R Ferreira,L Caetano M Antunes,B Brett Finlay,Glenn F Rall

doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1001190

Rosana B R Ferreira, L Caetano M Antunes + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1001190

Copy DOI

Abstract

Should the Human Microbiome Be Considered When Developing Vaccines?

Highlights

The human microbiome, especially in the intestinal tract has received increased attention in the past few years due to its importance in numerous biological processes
It has been shown that the intestinal microbiota exerts a profound effect on the metabolism of certain drugs and toxins [1,6], and this may indicate that oral vaccines could be differentially processed by the body depending on variations in microbial communities between individuals
The microbiota could be an underappreciated yet important player to consider in the development of vaccines, and may help explain some of the discrepancies observed in vaccine efficacy in different populations around the world

Summary

Introduction

The human microbiome, especially in the intestinal tract has received increased attention in the past few years due to its importance in numerous biological processes. Due to its impact in the development of immune function, both in the gut and other organs, it is reasonable to consider that the intestinal microbiota will significantly affect how individuals respond to vaccine antigens [3,4].

Results

Conclusion