Identification of Vaccine Resistant Isolates of Bacillus anthracis

摘要

Several strains of Bacillus anthracis have been reported previously to cause fatal infection in immunized guinea pigs. In this study, guinea pigs were immunized with either a protective antigen vaccine or a live Sterne strain spore vaccine, then challenged with virulent B. anthracis strains isolated from various host species from the United States and foreign sources. The authors concluded that antibodies to toxin components may not be sufficient to provide protection against all strains of B. anthracis, and that other antigens may play a role in active immunity. As a practical matter, it follows that the efficacy of anthrax vaccines must be tested by using vaccine-resistant isolates if protection against all possible challenge strains is to be assured.