The impact of vaccines and vaccinations: Challenges and opportunities for modelers

Roy Curtiss

doi:10.3934/mbe.2011.8.77

Abstract

This review focuses on how infectious diseases and their prevention and control by development of vaccines and widespread vaccination has shaped evolution of human civilization and of the animals and plants that humans depend on for food, labor and companionship. After describing major infectious diseases and the current status for control by vaccination, the barriers to infection and the attributes of innate and acquired immunity contributing to control are discussed. The evolution in types of vaccines is presented in the context of developing technologies and in improving adjuvants to engender enhanced vaccine efficacy. The special concerns and needs in vaccine design and development are discussed in dealing with epidemics/pandemics with special emphasis on influenza and current global problems in vaccine delivery.

Highlights

Infectious diseases of animals, plants and humans have shaped the evolution of human civilization ([5, 7, 43, 54, 115, 166, 190]) but the development and use of vaccines and other means to prevent infectious diseases have, in part, begun to partially negate Darwinian evolution of human civilization
With the recognition that specific infectious diseases were caused by bacteria ([68, 97, 98]) and viruses ([12]), it became possible to connect these discoveries with prior successes in developing vaccines to prevent some infectious diseases in animals and humans ([85, 138])
This has been successfully used in development of the Rota Teq human-bovine reassortment vaccine to prevent diarrheal disease due to rotavirus infections ([35])

Summary

Introduction

Infectious diseases of animals, plants and humans have shaped the evolution of human civilization ([5, 7, 43, 54, 115, 166, 190]) but the development and use of vaccines and other means to prevent infectious diseases have, in part, begun to partially negate Darwinian evolution of human civilization. Other live attenuated vaccines have been generated by reassortment of segmented virus genomes so that the recombinant attenuated viruses have an altered host range to reduce replication proficiency in humans ([78]). This has been successfully used in development of the Rota Teq human-bovine reassortment vaccine to prevent diarrheal disease due to rotavirus infections ([35]).

Results

Conclusion