Mucosal vaccines: the promise and the challenge

Most infectious agents enter the body at mucosal surfaces and therefore mucosal immune responses function as a first line of defence. Protective mucosal immune responses are most effectively induced by mucosal immunization through oral, nasal, rectal or vaginal routes, but the vast majority of vacci...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature Reviews: Immunology 2006-02, Vol.6 (2), p.148-158
Main Authors: Kozlowski, Pamela A, Neutra, Marian R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Antibodies
Antigens
Human immunodeficiency virus
Humans
Immune system
Immunity, Cellular
Immunity, Innate
Immunity, Mucosal
Immunoglobulins
Infections
Influenza
Microorganisms
Pathogens
Vaccines
Vaccines - immunology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Most infectious agents enter the body at mucosal surfaces and therefore mucosal immune responses function as a first line of defence. Protective mucosal immune responses are most effectively induced by mucosal immunization through oral, nasal, rectal or vaginal routes, but the vast majority of vaccines in use today are administered by injection. As discussed in this Review, current research is providing new insights into the function of mucosal tissues and the interplay of innate and adaptive immune responses that results in immune protection at mucosal surfaces. These advances promise to accelerate the development and testing of new mucosal vaccines against many human diseases including HIV/AIDS.
ISSN:1474-1733
1474-1741
1365-2567
DOI:10.1038/nri1777