Genesis of a Virus: Vaccines a Double-Edged Sword if Not Careful
Defective vaccines may lead to even more powerful viruses and ‘hot’ viral strains, according to a new study.
Perfect” vaccines have been protecting humans against polio, mumps, measles or smallpox, but it’s the “leaky” ones, which we may have to start worrying about.
Imperfect vaccines might pose a threat for future development, researchers found.
According to a study published in PLOS Biology, inoculating chickens with a live Marek’s disease virus (MDV) vaccine can lengthen the disease transmission period, allowing stronger strains of the virus to get “fitter” and reach unvaccinated birds.
"Our research demonstrates that the use of leaky vaccines can promote the evolution of …show more content…
For now, this so-called leakiness only exists in vaccines used to treat farm animals.
How the experiment was conducted
During the experiment, which was conducted on chickens, researchers followed the evolution of the herpes virus that causes Marek’s disease in poultry. If in the 1950s, the virus was considered close to harmful, it has managed to evolve into a killer one able to decimate entire flocks within 10 days.
Researchers found that while the injection protects the vaccinated chickens against the disease, it does not only fail to stop it from disseminating, but actually makes the virus tougher when passed on to others. This may explain cases such as the avian influenza where the virus grew more potent and spread. This was attributed to Southeast Asia using “leaky” vaccines.
This is not an anti-vaccination rhetoric
According to Peter Openshaw from Imperial College in London, it is crucial not to interpret this as an “argument against vaccination”.
Children must continue to get vaccinated against flu and other diseases. The study aims at helping humanity to consider that vaccines are saving lives but can also harm them if leaky ones are
Defective vaccines may lead to even more powerful viruses and ‘hot’ viral strains, according to a new study.
Perfect” vaccines have been protecting humans against polio, mumps, measles or smallpox, but it’s the “leaky” ones, which we may have to start worrying about.
Imperfect vaccines might pose a threat for future development, researchers found.
According to a study published in PLOS Biology, inoculating chickens with a live Marek’s disease virus (MDV) vaccine can lengthen the disease transmission period, allowing stronger strains of the virus to get “fitter” and reach unvaccinated birds.
"Our research demonstrates that the use of leaky vaccines can promote the evolution of …show more content…
For now, this so-called leakiness only exists in vaccines used to treat farm animals.
How the experiment was conducted
During the experiment, which was conducted on chickens, researchers followed the evolution of the herpes virus that causes Marek’s disease in poultry. If in the 1950s, the virus was considered close to harmful, it has managed to evolve into a killer one able to decimate entire flocks within 10 days.
Researchers found that while the injection protects the vaccinated chickens against the disease, it does not only fail to stop it from disseminating, but actually makes the virus tougher when passed on to others. This may explain cases such as the avian influenza where the virus grew more potent and spread. This was attributed to Southeast Asia using “leaky” vaccines.
This is not an anti-vaccination rhetoric
According to Peter Openshaw from Imperial College in London, it is crucial not to interpret this as an “argument against vaccination”.
Children must continue to get vaccinated against flu and other diseases. The study aims at helping humanity to consider that vaccines are saving lives but can also harm them if leaky ones are