Vaccines and evolution: Why is it important to understand the genetic diversity of pathogens?

Authors

  • Iñaki Comas Espadas Public Health Research Centre (CSISP-FISABIO), Valencia (Spain).

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7203/metode.78.2461

Keywords:

antigenic variation, tuberculosis, flu, immune system, infectious diseases

Abstract

From the perspective of public health intervention, there is no better weapon than one which can prevent disease transmission or onset. Within the field of infectious diseases, vaccines have become the weapon that can control many of them. Today, however, there are a large number of emerging infectious diseases for which no vaccines exist, or long forgotten diseases that are re-emerging. New vaccines are being developed to attack the pathogens associated with them. However, despite the importance of good vaccine design, the genetic diversity of pathogens is not always taken into account. Studying their diversity helps identify how pathogens adapt to pressure from the immune system and to what extent the immune response benefits the host or, conversely, benefits the pathogen. Understanding these relationships will help us predict how effective and universal a vaccine can be, and thus aid in their design.

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Author Biography

Iñaki Comas Espadas, Public Health Research Centre (CSISP-FISABIO), Valencia (Spain).

Researcher at the Genomics and Health Unit. Public Health Research Centre (CSISP-FISABIO), Valencia (Spain).

References

Comas, I. and S. Gagneux, 2009. «The Past and Future of Tuberculosis Research». PLoS Pathogens, 5(10): e1000600. DOI: <10.1371/journal.ppat.1000600>.

Comas, I. et al., 2010. «Human T Cell Epitopes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Are Evolutionarily Hyperconserved». Nature Genetics, 42(6): 498-503. DOI: <10.1038/ng.590>.

De Kruif, P., 1926. Microbe Hunters. Harcourt, Brace and Co. New York. Nabel, G. J., 2013. «Designing Tomorrow’s Vaccines». The New England Journal­ of Medicine, 368(6): 551-560. DOI: <10.156/NEJMra1204186>.

Rambaut, A. et al., 2008. «The Genomic and Epidemiological Dynamics of Human Influenza A Virus». Nature, 453(7195): 615-619. DOI: <10.1038/nature06945>.

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Published

2014-06-01

How to Cite

Comas Espadas, I. (2014). Vaccines and evolution: Why is it important to understand the genetic diversity of pathogens?. Metode Science Studies Journal, (4), 93–99. https://doi.org/10.7203/metode.78.2461
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Issue

The spirit of science (2014)

Section

In light of evolution. Making sense of biotech applications

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