%0 Journal Article
%T Setting up a platform for plant-based influenza virus vaccine production in South Africa
%A Elizabeth Mortimer
%A James M Maclean
%A Sandiswa Mbewana
%A Amelia Buys
%A Anna-Lise Williamson
%A Inga I Hitzeroth
%A Edward P Rybicki
%J BMC Biotechnology
%D 2012
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1472-6750-12-14
%X For both transient and transgenic expression systems the highest accumulation of full-length H5 protein occurred in the apoplastic spaces, while the highest accumulation of H5tr was in the endoplasmic reticulum. The H5 proteins were produced at relatively high concentrations in both systems. Following partial purification, haemagglutination and haemagglutination inhibition tests indicated that the conformation of the plant-produced HA variants was correct and the proteins were functional. The immunisation of chickens and mice with the candidate vaccines elicited HA-specific antibody responses.We managed, after synthesis of two versions of a single gene, to produce by transient and transgenic expression in plants, two variants of a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus HA protein which could have vaccine potential. This is a proof of principle of the potential of plant-produced influenza vaccines as a feasible pandemic response strategy for South Africa and other developing countries.During 2009, South Africa was faced with the novel (ˇ°swineˇ±) influenza A H1N1 virus pandemic. As the country does not have the ability to produce influenza vaccine stocks, we had to rely on the World Health Organisation (WHO) and developed countries ¨C and as expected, even developed countries did not have adequate vaccine stocks to meet their own demands. Luckily, the 2009 H1N1 pandemic virus caused only mild flu-like symptoms in most individuals. Certain groups of people, however, were at greater risk for serious disease complications, such children and young adults, people with diabetes, pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals [1]. Since South Africa carries a high disease burden which includes one of the highest Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevalences in the world [2], this pandemic was a serious warning for South Africa to have a contingency plan in place for when the next influenza pandemic strikes. Ideally, South Africa should be self-sufficient; producing its own
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6750/12/14