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The current status of the rotavirus vaccine
1Mayo Vaccine Research Group, Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Rochester, MN 55905-0001, USA. jacobson.robert@mayo.edu
Insights
A new oral rotavirus vaccine is now available for infant immunization in the US. This vaccine targets rotavirus, a leading cause of severe diarrhea in children worldwide.
Area of Science:
- * Virology and Immunology
- * Pediatric Infectious Diseases
Background:
- * Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe diarrhea globally, affecting most children.
- * Natural immunity to rotavirus is often serotype-specific and offers limited protection, especially in developing countries.
- * Previous vaccine development efforts focused on animal rotaviruses, with limited success.
Purpose of the Study:
- * To report the licensing of a new oral tetravalent rhesus reassortant rotavirus vaccine.
- * To provide context on the significance of rotavirus as a pediatric pathogen.
Main Methods:
- * Development of a tetravalent rhesus reassortant rotavirus vaccine.
- * Licensing for routine infant immunization in the US.
Main Results:
- * The US has licensed an oral tetravalent rhesus reassortant vaccine for infant immunization.
- * This vaccine represents a significant advancement over earlier animal-derived rotavirus vaccine candidates.
Conclusions:
- * The new vaccine offers a promising tool for controlling rotavirus infections in infants.
- * Reassortant vaccine technology has proven more successful in developing effective rotavirus vaccines.
Abstract:
The US just licensed of an oral tetravalent rhesus reassortant vaccine for routine immunization of infants against rotavirus. The virus was first identified 25 years ago and is now recognized to be the most common single cause of severe diarrhea throughout the world. Most children suffer at least one infection and reinfection is common. Studies of natural immunity show that breastfeeding may merely delay onset of primary infection and that maternal immunity has little effect-especially in developing countries where onset in early infancy is common. Immunity, furthermore, appears to be serotype-specific. Early attempts to develop a vaccine focused on animal forms of rotavirus. More recent efforts have created human-animal reassortants that have been far more successful.