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Measles: old vaccines, new vaccines

D E Griffin1, C H Pan

  • 1Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St. Rm E5132 Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. dgriffin@jhsph.edu

Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology
|February 11, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Measles vaccines have evolved from early inactivated versions to highly effective live attenuated vaccines. Current research focuses on developing new measles vaccines for younger infants, improved stability, and needle-free delivery.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Immunology
  • Vaccinology

Background:

  • Measles virus isolation in the 1960s enabled the first vaccine developments.
  • Early inactivated measles vaccines offered limited protection and posed risks of atypical measles.
  • The current live attenuated measles vaccine is highly effective but has age and administration limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the historical development of measles vaccines.
  • To highlight the limitations of current measles vaccination strategies.
  • To discuss ongoing research into novel measles vaccine candidates.

Main Methods:

  • Historical literature review of measles vaccine development.
  • Analysis of immunological responses to different vaccine types.
  • Overview of emerging measles vaccine technologies and animal models.

Main Results:

  • Inactivated measles vaccines induced suboptimal immune responses and were withdrawn.
  • Live attenuated measles vaccines have successfully controlled measles transmission with two doses.
  • New vaccine approaches, including DNA, subunit, and virus-vectored vaccines, show promise.

Conclusions:

  • Significant progress has been made in measles vaccine development, moving from inactivated to live attenuated forms.
  • Addressing current vaccine limitations, such as age of administration and thermostability, is crucial for global measles eradication.
  • Innovative vaccine technologies are being explored to overcome existing challenges and improve measles control efforts.

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