Message Number: SG3202 | New FHL Archives Search
From: Pam Sessoms
Date: 2003-02-06 18:55:04 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] helicobacter vaccine?
To: ruesterx1@excite.com
cc: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <Pine.A41.4.44+UNC.0302061219550.65006-100000@login2.isis.unc.edu>

On Thu, 6 Feb 2003 ruesterx1@excite.com wrote:
> I guess no one knows anything about the new helicobacter vaccine,
> Helivax, that is being tested in humans? I thought people would be
> interested since they may have tested this in ferrets. If so, this would
> be an important tool in the fight against helicobacter that causes so
> many problems in our ferrets. Anyone know anything about the testing?

I went looking in Pubmed (freely available Medline -
http://www.pubmed.org/ ) to try to see if the vaccine was tested in
ferrets. I didn't find anything really current *specifically* about
ferrets and this particular vaccine, but of course, ferrets have long been
an animal model used in Helicobacter research along with other animals.
They might have only named it once it went to human trials. Pubmed has
abstracts, and there might be more specifics if one read the full text of
the articles.

The most on-target article that does address ferrets and vaccine
development I found was:

Annu Rev Immunol 2001;19:523-63 The design of vaccines against
Helicobacter pylori and their development. Del Giudice G, Covacci A,
Telford JL, Montecucco C, Rappuoli R.

This Giudice person seems to also be connected with the Helivax research,
so that's a good name to search on (also giudice as there is one typo in
the database).

You might see if you can read that article through your local public or
academic library; public libraries won't have it, but they can get a copy
for you.

Copyright restrictions prevent me from sending the the full article, but
here is a quote:

"The feasibility of the therapeutic approach of vaccination using urease
was also shown in ferrets, which are naturally infected with H. mustelae.
Infected animals immunized orally with purified H. pylori urease plus CT
as adjuvant exhibited a reduced gastritis as compared to controls; in
addition, in 30% of immunized animals the H. mustelae infection was
eradicated (177). These very promising results with urease in mice and in
ferrets have been only partially reproduced in monkeys..."

Here is footnote 177:

Cuenca R, Blanchard TG, Czinn SJ, Nedrud JG, Monath TP. 1996. Therapeutic
immunization against Helicobacter mustelae in naturally infected ferrets.
Gastroenterology 110:1770-75

I know it's not a definite answer, but that's what I found... lit searches
are about the best I can do. Ignore me if someone like Dr. Williams
chimes in - he's the real authority. :)

-Pam S.