Jornal de Bioterrorismo e Biodefesa

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Henipavirus Vaccine Development

Jackie Pallister, Deborah Middleton, Christopher C. Broder and Lin-Fa Wang

The henipaviruses, Hendra virus and Nipah virus, belong to the family Paramyxoviridae which has long been a source of highly contagious pathogens for both humans and animals. Some notable paramyxoviruses such as measles virus have spilled over from animals into humans to cause significant morbidity and mortality. Since 1994 the henipaviruses have periodically emerged from their animal reservoir in flying foxes to cause disease in human and animal populations. The recent emergence of these viruses coupled with the high mortality rate associated with henipavirus infections and the lack of any licensed prophylactic or therapeutic treatments, makes them agents of particular concern in the area of both human and agricultural biodefense. Advances in our understanding of henipavirus infection and pathogenesis has led to the development of several promising vaccine candidates making it likely that vaccines for henipavirus infections may be available in the near future.