Indian scientists have made a significant breakthrough by developing an advanced vaccine against the deadly bacterium, anthrax. This novel vaccine has highlighted superiority over existing vaccines as it is able to instigate an immune response to both the anthrax toxin and its spores, unlike the current vaccines which only respond to the toxin itself.
Understanding Anthrax
Anthrax is an infectious disease induced by a bacterium named Bacillus anthracis. This bacterium pervades in animals and humans in numerous locales around the globe such as Asia, southern Europe, the sub-Sahelian region of Africa, and parts of Australia. The Bacillus anthracis bacteria persists in the environment by metamorphosing into spores.
The Infection Pathway
Humans contract anthrax when these spores infiltrate the body. Upon entering the body, the dormant spores can become activated. Once active, the bacteria reproduce, disseminate within the body, manufacture toxins (poisons), and potentially initiate severe illness with symptoms ranging from black sores, headaches, and fever to breathing difficulties, vomiting of blood, and diarrhea.
Despite anthrax responding positively to antibiotic treatment, vaccines are crucial due to its rapid infection progression. Anthrax is capable of causing death within a span of two to three days, leaving no room for diagnosis and treatment.
An Overview of Existing Vaccines
Anti-anthrax vaccines currently available in the market tend to stimulate an immune response against a specific Bacillus protein, the protective antigen — a protein that aids in the transportation of Bacillus toxins inside the cells. This signifies that the immune response is only triggered when the spores germinate within the body and commence producing bacterial proteins.
| Existing Vaccine Feature | Proposed Vaccine Feature |
|---|---|
| Respond only to Bacillus toxins | Respond to both Bacillus toxins and spores |
| Immune response occurs after spores germination | Immune response initiated by presence of spores, even before germination |
| Necessitates body to identify and react to toxin proteins | Exempts body from identifying and reacting to toxin proteins |
Valuable Upgrade: The New Vaccine
A significant drawback of such vaccines is that anyone inoculated with them would not demonstrate any immune response to the Bacillus spores. The immune system only kicks into action once the spores germinate and begin releasing toxins. The new vaccine developed by Indian scientists is a major upgrade as it eliminates this problem altogether. This innovative vaccine can stimulate an immune response to the Bacillus spores besides the toxins, thereby providing comprehensive protection against anthrax.
