Mantis Nicholas J
Division of Infectious Disease, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, NY 12208, USA.
Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2005 Jun 17;57(9):1424-39. doi: 10.1016/j.addr.2005.01.017.
The threat of bioterrorism worldwide has accelerated the demand for the development of therapies and vaccines against the Category B toxins: staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB), epsilon toxin (ETX) produced by Clostridium perfringens types B and D, and ricin, a natural product of the castor bean. The diverse and unique nature of these toxins poses a challenge to vaccinologists. While formalin-inactivated toxins can successfully induce antibody-mediated protection in animals, their usefulness in humans is limited because of potential safety concerns. For this reason, research is now aimed at developing recombinant, attenuated vaccines based on a detailed understanding of the molecular mechanisms by which these toxins function. Vaccine development is further complicated by the fact that as bioterrorism agents, SEB, ETX and ricin would most likely be disseminated as aerosols or in food/water supplies. Our understanding of the mechanisms by which these toxins cross mucosal surfaces, and importance of mucosal immunity in preventing toxin uptake is only rudimentary.
全球范围内生物恐怖主义的威胁加速了针对B类毒素开发治疗方法和疫苗的需求，这些毒素包括：葡萄球菌肠毒素B（SEB）、由B型和D型产气荚膜梭菌产生的ε毒素（ETX），以及蓖麻毒素（一种蓖麻子的天然产物）。这些毒素多样且独特的性质给疫苗学家带来了挑战。虽然福尔马林灭活毒素能在动物体内成功诱导抗体介导的保护作用，但由于潜在的安全问题，其在人类中的效用有限。因此，目前的研究旨在基于对这些毒素作用分子机制的详细了解，开发重组减毒疫苗。由于作为生物恐怖主义制剂，SEB、ETX和蓖麻毒素很可能以气溶胶形式或通过食品/水源传播，疫苗开发进一步复杂化。我们对这些毒素穿过黏膜表面的机制以及黏膜免疫在防止毒素摄取中的重要性的了解还很初步。
