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Vaccine against biowarfare agent shows promise
Mon Jan 30, 2006 11:13 PM GMT
By Anthony J. Brown, MD
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - U.S. researchers have developed a genetically
engineered vaccine against ricin, a highly lethal toxin derived from castor
beans, which appears safe and stimulates an immune response at high doses,
according to the results of a small study.
"Ricin represents a potential agent for use in biological warfare and is
classified by the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention as a level B
biothreat," the investigators report in the Proceedings of the National
Academy of Science.
Probably the most famous case of the use of ricin as a bioweapon was when
the Bulgarian dissident Georgie Markov was killed in 1978 after being
stabbed in the leg with an umbrella tipped with the lethal toxin, lead
author Dr. Ellen S. Vitetta, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical
Center in Dallas, told Reuters Health. "With more and more spottings of
ricin use after 9/11, interest in developing a vaccine grew," she added.
Vitetta said her group's vaccine, called RiVax, is one of several currently
in development by researchers in the U.S. and elsewhere. The vaccine is
based on a mutated version of the ribotoxic A chain of ricin, combined with
the bacteria E. coli.
After showing that RiVax was safe in mice and rabbits in previous studies,
the researchers tested the vaccine in 15 human subjects, who were given a
low, intermediate or high dose. Three groups of five subjects were given the
assigned dosage three times at monthly intervals.
The vaccine appeared to be safe with only minor side effects, such as
injection site pain and headache. One of five subjects in the low-dose
group, four of five in the intermediate-dose group, and all five in the
high-dose group developed antibodies to ricin.
"There was a dose-response relation, if you can call it that since we only
had 15 patients," Vitetta said.
The researcher added that her group is planning further studies to examine
the effects of various vaccine supplements and to better understand the
protection provided by the vaccine. "If money were no object, a ricin
vaccine could be on the market in a few years," she said.
SOURCE: Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, January 30, 2006.
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Yours, NiCoLe RuSSeLL "You can't help that. We're all mad here."
- The Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland
thats insane that there is a toxin derived from castor beans...i never knew that toxins of that magnitude could be made from something so simple...granted maybe the process of making it isnt so simple but....i guess thats good that we are in the process of making a vaccine....lol
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1.0.0 golden retriever chow mix (Gus)
0.1.0 Columbian Red Tail Boa (Molly)
2.0.0 Ferrets (Spanky & Bandit)
You would be shocked to know exactly what virus and biological's have been made into weapons grade tactical weapons. Many of the virus compounds have been genetically engineered to be vaccine resistant. This would include small pox, monkey pox, anthrax, and the good old black plague. Iraq was said to have these but none have been found to date. Popular consensus in intelligence circles have Iraq secreting away their formula's and any bio or virus weapons to Syria who is a popular supporter of terrorist activities and groups.
There really is some scary stuff out there and in the hands of some scary people.
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Gallon - United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters
And pray to god that some religious zelot doesn't get "jiggy" with a load of weapons grade anthrax, tularemia, brucellosis, plague, typhus, Q fever, smallpox, botulinum toxin, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, Rinderpest virus, Newcastle disease virus, African swine fever virus, sheep pox virus, goat pox virus, fowl pox virus, blue-tongue virus, herpes, or cereal rust fungi.
In fact here is a nice little link about the history of biowarfare.
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