Strategies for development of potential candidate Shigella vaccines

Alf A. Lindberg, Tibor Pál

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

42 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Bacillary dysentery, caused by Shigella bacteria, is a major enteric disease responsible for over 200 million infections annually with 650 000 fatal cases. Due to its high communicability, improvement of hygienic standards alone should reduce the spread of dysentery. However, such measures are expensive, and in the communities (e.g. penitentiaries and asylums) or in the areas of the world where bacillary dysentery is most frequently encountered (e.g. in the developing countries) they are not likely to take effect in the reasonably near future. Therefore the possibility of other preventive means such as anti-dysentery vaccines have been explored over the past 40 years. Recently, increased understanding of the molecular biology of bacillary dysentery and the possibility of designing well characterized vaccine strains have increased interest in the field. Several promising vaccine candidates are at various levels of investigations, but to date no Shigella vaccines are available for public health purposes. In this review, beyond the relevant basic information about the pathology, pathomechanism and molecular biology of bacillary dysentery, the various approaches and strategies to construct a safe and immunogenic anti-dysentery vaccine are critically discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)168-179
Number of pages12
JournalVaccine
Volume11
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1993
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Shigella
  • bacillary dysentery
  • development
  • vaccines

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Molecular Medicine
  • General Immunology and Microbiology
  • General Veterinary
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
  • Infectious Diseases

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