Roeky Mountain Spotted Fever Vaccine: A Regional Need

• Autor(a) principal: Walker, David H.
• Data de Publicação: 1984
• Outros Autores: Montenegro, Mario R. [UNESP], Hegarty, Barbara C., Tringali, Giuseppe R.
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UNESP
• Texto Completo: http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/00007611-198404000-00009; http://hdl.handle.net/11449/223905

Because the killed Rickettsia vaccines have failed to provide protection against Rocky Mountain spotted fever, we approached the problem of protective immunity to Rickettsia rickettsii with a closely related, live, less pathogenic spotted fever Rickettsia. Guinea pigs vaccinated with R conorii produced antibodies to spotted fever group rickettsiae and did not have fever or other signs of illness after challenge with R rickettsii. A vaccine against Rocky Mountain spotted fever would be useful in some medical practices in the southeastern United States because of the life-threatening nature of the disease, including the possibility of a fulminant course and the frequent difficulty in diagnosis. Further studies should be pursued toward the goal of developing an effective vaccine against Rocky Mountain spotted fever. © 1984 Southern Medical Association.