Needle-free delivery of measles virus vaccine to the lower respiratory tract of non-human primates elicits optimal immunity and protection

Abstract

Measles: The efficacy of needle-free vaccine delivery Research shows that measles aerosol vaccination is effective when the vaccine is delivered to the lower respiratory tract. Measles virus is a highly contagious and potentially deadly human pathogen, but is easily prevented by vaccination. An international team led by Paul Duprex, of the United States’ Boston University School of Medicine, and Rik de Swart, of the Erasmus University Medical Center, The Netherlands, investigated the effectiveness of different routes of measles vaccine administration in non-human primates. They found that macaques responded well to aerosolized administration of the live-attenuated measles vaccine and they were effectively protected from subsequent measles virus infection. Vaccine delivery to the lower respiratory tract was most effective in eliciting protective immune responses. This research is a step towards easier vaccination protocols and away from dependency on sterile needles and trained health-care workers — an important consideration in the developing world.