March 28, 2024

Smallpox Vaccine Recruits Skin Bacteria to Fight Disease

In a brand-new research study published in PLOS Pathogens on April 21, scientists from the University of Cambridge in the UK and the University of Bern in Switzerland found in mice that local skin bacteria presented into the vaccination website might play a role in reinforcing the hosts immune response.In the research study, the researchers immunized three groups of mice with the vaccinia infection and compared their immune reactions. The very first group consisted of seven-week-old specific-pathogen-free (SPF) mice (lab mice reproduced to lack specific microorganisms) treated with prescription antibiotics, the second was SPF mice without antibiotic treatment, and the last group consisted of seven-to-nine-week-old old germ-free mice, which do not contain any microorganisms. Following vaccination, their analysis revealed that immune cells in the antibiotic-treated mice and the germ-free mice declined significantly.

In a new study published in PLOS Pathogens on April 21, scientists from the University of Cambridge in the UK and the University of Bern in Switzerland found in mice that local skin bacteria introduced into the vaccination website may play a role in boosting the hosts immune response.In the research study, the scientists vaccinated 3 groups of mice with the vaccinia infection and compared their immune responses. The first group included seven-week-old specific-pathogen-free (SPF) mice (lab mice reproduced to lack specific microorganisms) treated with antibiotics, the second was SPF mice without antibiotic treatment, and the last group consisted of seven-to-nine-week-old old germ-free mice, which dont include any microorganisms. Its not being caused by the virus, its being caused by the bacteria,” he says.Lesion formed by the smallpox vaccine six days after injectionUS CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTIONThe researchers measured the rodents regional immune response to the vaccine, reporting that it was weaker in the antibiotic-treated SPF group and the germ-free mice. Following vaccination, their analysis revealed that immune cells in the antibiotic-treated mice and the germ-free mice declined significantly. The researchers observed that even though the smallpox vaccination used defense versus the illness in all groups, SPF mice had 3 times more neutralizing antibodies than their germ-free equivalents.