Virus Spike Protein Complexes and Virosomes as Effective Subunit Vaccines

Abstract

There is a trend regarding killed virus vaccine towards purified subunit vaccines which contain only the viral surface antigens (the membrane glycoproteins) to avoid nucleic acid and toxic components in the virus preparations (1–4). However, subunit vaccines available have generally proved less efficient than whole virus vaccine in stimulating protective immunity. Little is, however, known about the physical state of the glycoproteins in the vaccine preparations used. It seems conceivable that the procedures to isolate the proteins have been too harsh, and that the form in which the proteins have been administered is not optimal (5).