Vaccine developed
Scientists in The Netherlands have identified a potential vaccine for the deadly chikungunya virus (CHIKV) that has spread to Europe recently.
Scientists in The Netherlands have identified a potential vaccine for the deadly chikungunya virus (CHIKV) that has spread to Europe recently.
CHIKV is a mosquito-borne virus behind epidemics in Africa, South-East Asia and India, which has recently emerged in Europe through Asian tiger mosquitoes. Symptoms of the virus include joint pain, vomiting and nausea, headaches, chills and fever, as well as skin rashes.
The study, published in the Virology Journal,1 investigated the expression of individual CHIKV E1 and E2 glycoproteins in insect cells as well as developing purification methods for secreted forms of these glycoproteins. The study used metal affinity chromatography and confocal laser scanning microscopy to identify and obtain purified, glycosylated and secreted CHIKV E2. CHIKV E2 induces neutralizing antibodies in rabbits, which, according to the study, “underscores the potential use of E2 in a subunit vaccine to prevent CHIKV infections.”
1. S.W. Metz, Virology Journal, 8(353) (2011).
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