14 / 20
allied
academies
Virology Research Journal
Volume 1 Issue 4
Vaccines World 2017
Notes:
Page 46
November 09-10, 2017 Vienna, Austria
21
st
World Congress and Exhibition on
VACCINES, VACCINATION & IMMUNIZATION
Measles vaccination: Threat from related veterinary
viruses and need for continued vaccination post
measles eradication
S Louise Cosby
Queen’s University Belfast, UK
M
easles virus (MV) is the only human virus within
the morbillivirus genus of the Paramyxoviridae. The
virus can cause severe complications such as measles giant
cell pneumonia and acute post measles encephalitis. More
rarely fatal infections of the CNS, sub-acute sclerosing
panencephalitis (SSPE) and in immunosuppressed individuals
measles inclusion body encephalitis (MIBE) occur. The
World Health Organization (WHO) has set goals towards
the complete eradication of MV in at least five WHO regions
by 2020. This presents potential problems as the closely
related veterinary members in the genus share common
cell entry receptors raising the risk of zoonotic infection.
MV is thought to have evolved from the eradicated cattle
morbillivirus, rinderpest, and to have entered the human
population during cattle domestication. Lessons have also
been learned from other animal to human virus transmission
i.e. human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and more recently
avian influenza, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)
and Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). This
highlights the potential consequences of complete withdrawal
of MV vaccination after eradication. The measles vaccine is
live attenuated and has very low risk of reversion but is still
unlikely to be acceptable in a MV free world raising the need
for alternative approaches. A formalin fixed MV vaccine was
used for a period in the 1960’s but provided short lived and
non-complete immunity with an altered immune response
and death of some children following later infection. This has
encouraged research into recombinant vaccines for MV or
the closely related veterinary viruses using other virus vector
systems.
L.Cosby@qub.ac.ukVirol Res J 2017, 1:4