Modelos animales de la infeccion por VIH y del SIDA: Memorandum de una Reunión de la OMS / Animal models for HIV infection and AIDS: Memorandum from a WHO Meeting

Animal models may be used for the study of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection and AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). Three major animal models that reproduce many aspects of HIV infection in man are available: infection by simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIV) and by non-primates lentiviruses, and HIV infection of non-human primates. The use of primate and nom-primate lentivirus models is critical for the continued development of vaccines and therapeutics for AIDS. This Memorandum describes the present situation in this área of research, as reported by the participants at a WHO Consultation in Geneva, Switzerland, in March 1988, and includes their recommendations

The present status of rotavirus vaccine development.

Rotavirus infection is one of the most important causes of morbidity in young children throughout the world. The high associated mortality in Southeast Asia (and elsewhere) warrants the development of a vaccine. It is probable that most of the life-threatening watery diarrhoea due to rotavirus infection occurs as a result of primary infection in children aged 6-18 months after protection due to maternal antibody has diminished. Thus rotavirus vaccines are targeted at young infants from birth to 3 months of age. At present three candidate rotavirus vaccines (RIT-4237, MMU-18007, WC3) have undergone trials in young children. A bovine rotavirus strain (RIT-4237), was shown to be safe, immunogenic and efficacious in prevention of severe rotavirus diarrhoea in young children in Finland. However it was found to be weakly immunogenic in infants in developing countries, and to have only low efficacy in prevention of disease. A simian rotavirus strain (RRV, MMU-18006) has proved to be highly immunogenic and its reactinogenicity to be diminished by pre-existing maternal antibody (in infants aged 1-4 months). It has high efficacy against clinically severe rotavirus infection. However protection is homotypic against human serotype 3 only so that eventually a multivalent vaccine incorporating reassortant rotavirus strains that protect against human serotypes 1, 2, 4 (and other newer serotypes) may be required. It is hoped that, once safe immunogenic and protective candidate rotavirus vaccines are identified, they can be administered in an acceptable form with no alteration to existing immunization schedules.

Development of the second generation Japanese encephalitis (JE) vaccine.

Recent analysis of Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus genome RNA, especially its nucleotide sequence, revealed the localization of virion envelope glycoprotein (E) gene on the virus genome. Since the E protein is the major protective antigen related with the virus neutralization, attempts have been made to produce the second generation JE vaccine by expressing the E protein using recombinant DNA technologies. These studies will eventually lead to control JE by mass-vaccination in several Asian countries where JE is one of the major public health problems.