Dogs will help to overcome the deadly diseases of man
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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The dog is definitely a human friend. It is true quadrupeds can open the way to the development of new vaccines against human fatal diseases.
Scientists from the University of Georgia found that a virus that is often found in dogs can help humanity make the next big breakthrough in the development of vaccination.
It is believed that a harmless human parainfluenza virus 5 or HSV-5 promotes the development of an infection of the upper respiratory tract in dogs and is therefore a target for the development of canine vaccines. In an article published the other day at PLOS ONE, researchers describe how this virus can be used to fight diseases that until recently could not be eradicated with vaccines.
According to Biao He, a professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Georgia, this "dog" virus can suppress many pathogens that are difficult to control by vaccination.
"With its help, we have developed a very strong vaccine against H5N1 (the so-called" bird flu "), but we are also working on vaccines against HIV, tuberculosis and malaria," says Biao Hyo.
HSV-5 does not cause disease in humans, because our immune system is able to recognize it and destroy it. Placing antigens of other viruses or parasites inside HSV-5 allows you to create a unique signaling system: the immune system through HSV-5 finds a path to pathogens and creates antibodies that further protect the body from infection.
This approach not only ensures the maximum effectiveness of the vaccine, but also makes vaccination much safer, since it does not require the use of weakened pathogenic microorganisms. For example, scientists hope to create an HIV vaccine with HSV-5, which will contain only those parts of the human immunodeficiency virus that are necessary for the immune system reaction, but under no circumstances can lead to infection.
"Security has always been our main goal," Biao Xe noted. "HSV-5 greatly facilitates the task of creating vaccines without the use of living pathogens."
The use of viruses as a vaccine delivery mechanism is already familiar to science, but most of the previous attempts to create an effective vaccine thus failed. If people and animals have strong immunity to such viruses, the vaccine will be too quickly destroyed by the immune system.
Nevertheless, HSV-5 allowed scientists after 15 years of research to create a vaccine against "avian flu", which successfully passed the test in mice. The team of researchers believes that this vaccine can protect people. In addition, with the help of HSV-5, they hope to create vaccines against many other human diseases.
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