Campbell James D
University of Maryland Center for Vaccine Development, Baltimore, USA.
Md Med. 2006 Winter;7(1):15-8.
Influenza viruses infect a wide range of animal hosts and cause yearly wintertime epidemics among people living in temperate zones. Because of their ability to mutate, re-assort gene segments, and cross species, influenza viruses can also lead to pandemics in which immunologically naïve people are exposed to a new, highly contagious subtype. In the last century, these pandemics were caused by influenza viruses whose surface attachment proteins, or hemagglutinins, were derived from birds, the natural reservoir of influenza virus. Vaccines are the primary means to provide protection for people at risk for inter-pandemic influenza, and new vaccines, directed against avian-potentially pandemic-strains are now being tested. To date, these vaccines have been shown to be safe and well tolerated, but have required multiple doses and dosage levels higher than traditionally needed for seasonal influenza vaccines in order to generate immune responses thought to be protective. No efficacy studies have yet been performed. Future efforts will be directed toward adjuvants, different routes of administration, newer manufacturing methods, and possibly new viral targets.
流感病毒可感染多种动物宿主，并在温带地区的人群中引发每年一度的冬季流行病。由于流感病毒具有变异、重配基因片段以及跨物种传播的能力，它们还可能导致大流行，使缺乏免疫力的人群接触到一种新的、具有高度传染性的亚型病毒。在上个世纪，这些大流行是由流感病毒引起的，其表面附着蛋白或血凝素源自鸟类，而鸟类是流感病毒的天然宿主。疫苗是为处于流感大流行间期风险中的人群提供保护的主要手段，目前正在测试针对具有潜在大流行能力的禽流感毒株的新型疫苗。迄今为止，这些疫苗已被证明是安全的，且耐受性良好，但为了产生被认为具有保护作用的免疫反应，需要多剂接种，且剂量水平高于季节性流感疫苗传统所需剂量。尚未进行疗效研究。未来的工作将致力于佐剂、不同的给药途径、更新的生产方法以及可能的新病毒靶点。
