First clinical study of new pediatric croup vaccine shows safety, tolerability i

[Guest guest]

Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital are investigating in

adults the use of a vaccine given by nose drops that might ultimately protect

children against human parainfluenza virus-type 1 (hPIV-1). This virus is the

most

common cause of croup, a pediatric respiratory disease that causes almost

30,000 hospitalizations each year and many more emergency room visits. These

findings are published in the current issue of Vaccine.

Successful development of an effective hPIV-1 vaccine would be significant

because none is currently available and a vaccine that is given to infants using

nose drops would eliminate the discomfort and complications of injections.

Because the vaccine contains a live virus, it should stimulate both antibody

and cellular immune responses, which together may provide durable protection

from hPIV-1. In cellular immunity, special cells, rather than antibodies,

destroy virus-infected cells inside the body.

The vaccine consists of Sendai virus (SeV), a mouse virus that is similar

enough to hPIV-1 to act as a vaccine, but different enough to have never been

associated with a human disease, according to Slobod, M.D., associate

member of the department of Infectious Diseases.

Slobod is the lead author of the Vaccine report.

Pre-clinical studies by the St. Jude team proved that intranasal SeV vaccine

can protect against the human croup virus. The results of the study in nine

healthy adults demonstrated that the SeV vaccine was safe and well tolerated.

None of those vaccinated experienced any significant reactions, such as

respiratory symptoms or laboratory abnormalities.

This FDA-approved Phase I trial was initiated in adults as a first step,

prior to future testing in children and then infants--the ultimate target

population, said Jerry Shenep, M.D., member of the department of Infectious

Diseases

and a co-author of the paper.

" The St. Jude team based the vaccine on SeV for two reasons, " said

Portner, Ph.D., member of the department of Infectious Diseases and a co-author

of

the paper. " First, it appears likely that this virus will provide immunity

against hPIV-1 in infants. Second, despite the fact that children frequently

have close contact with mice carrying SeV, there has never been a confirmed case

of SeV infection in humans. " Using a natural mimic of a human virus follows in

the tradition of the world's most successful vaccine, the smallpox vaccine,

said Hurwitz, Ph.D. member of the department of Immunology.

" The smallpox vaccine was based on the cowpox virus, which caused only

limited skin infection in healthy humans, " Hurwitz said. " Yet it provided

lifelong

protection against smallpox and eradicated this disease from the human

population in the 1970s. We hope that SeV will similarly help eradicate hPIV-1

as a

cause of childhood croup. "

Other authors of the study are Luján-Zilbermann, Kim , Brita

Brown, Ruth Ann Scroggs and Coleclough.

This work was support in part by NIH and ALSAC.St. Jude Children's Research

Hospital

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is internationally recognized for its

pioneering work in finding cures and saving children with cancer and other

catastrophic diseases. Founded by late entertainer Danny and based in

Memphis, Tennessee, St. Jude freely shares its discoveries with scientific and

medical communities around the world. No family ever pays for treatments not

covered by insurance, and families without insurance are never asked to pay. St.

Jude is financially supported by ALSAC, its fundraising organization. For more

information, please visit www.stjude.org.

[Guest guest]

How the heck can you vaccinate against something that isn't a virus or a

bacteria? Croup is a symptom - and it can be caused by so many different

conditions! This is just such garbage!!!!!

*********************************************

First clinical study of new pediatric croup vaccine

shows safety, tolerability i

Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital are investigating in

adults the use of a vaccine given by nose drops that might ultimately

protect children against human parainfluenza virus-type 1 (hPIV-1). This

virus is the most common cause of croup, a pediatric respiratory disease

that causes almost 30,000 hospitalizations each year and many more emergency

room visits. These findings are published in the current issue of Vaccine.

Successful development of an effective hPIV-1 vaccine would be significant

because none is currently available and a vaccine that is given to infants

using nose drops would eliminate the discomfort and complications of

injections.

Because the vaccine contains a live virus, it should stimulate both antibody

and cellular immune responses, which together may provide durable protection

from hPIV-1. In cellular immunity, special cells, rather than antibodies,

destroy virus-infected cells inside the body.

The vaccine consists of Sendai virus (SeV), a mouse virus that is similar

enough to hPIV-1 to act as a vaccine, but different enough to have never

been associated with a human disease, according to Slobod, M.D.,

associate member of the department of Infectious Diseases.

Slobod is the lead author of the Vaccine report.

Pre-clinical studies by the St. Jude team proved that intranasal SeV vaccine

can protect against the human croup virus. The results of the study in nine

healthy adults demonstrated that the SeV vaccine was safe and well

tolerated.

None of those vaccinated experienced any significant reactions, such as

respiratory symptoms or laboratory abnormalities.

This FDA-approved Phase I trial was initiated in adults as a first step,

prior to future testing in children and then infants--the ultimate target

population, said Jerry Shenep, M.D., member of the department of Infectious

Diseases and a co-author of the paper.

" The St. Jude team based the vaccine on SeV for two reasons, " said

Portner, Ph.D., member of the department of Infectious Diseases and a

co-author of the paper. " First, it appears likely that this virus will

provide immunity against hPIV-1 in infants. Second, despite the fact that

children frequently have close contact with mice carrying SeV, there has

never been a confirmed case of SeV infection in humans. " Using a natural

mimic of a human virus follows in the tradition of the world's most

successful vaccine, the smallpox vaccine, said Hurwitz, Ph.D. member

of the department of Immunology.

" The smallpox vaccine was based on the cowpox virus, which caused only

limited skin infection in healthy humans, " Hurwitz said. " Yet it provided

lifelong protection against smallpox and eradicated this disease from the

human population in the 1970s. We hope that SeV will similarly help

eradicate hPIV-1 as a cause of childhood croup. "

Other authors of the study are Luján-Zilbermann, Kim , Brita

Brown, Ruth Ann Scroggs and Coleclough.

This work was support in part by NIH and ALSAC.St. Jude Children's Research

Hospital

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is internationally recognized for its

pioneering work in finding cures and saving children with cancer and other

catastrophic diseases. Founded by late entertainer Danny and based in

Memphis, Tennessee, St. Jude freely shares its discoveries with scientific

and

medical communities around the world. No family ever pays for treatments not

covered by insurance, and families without insurance are never asked to pay.

St.

Jude is financially supported by ALSAC, its fundraising organization. For

more

information, please visit www.stjude.org.