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pox lesions of horses and other lots were purportedly mixed with
Vaccinia virus is no longer needed for smallpox immuniza- smallpox virus to increase their "potency"; after a nearly 200-year
tion, but now serves as a useful vector for expressing genes history, in man and animals, the derivation of present-day vaccinia
within the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells. As a research tool, virus is obscure (2). DNA analyses indicate that vaccinia virus is
recombinant vaccinia viruses are used to synthesize biolog- closely related to, but distinct from, variola virus, cowpox virus, and
ically active proteins and analyze structure-function rela- other members of the poxvirus family that occur naturally (3).
tions, determine the targets of humoral- and cell-mediated The novelty of the vaccination procedure led some contemporar-
immunity, and investigate the immune responses needed ies of Jenner to view the idea of using cowpox material with alarm
for protection against specific infectious diseases. When (Fig. 1, bottom), a response similar to the greeting recombinant
more data on safety and efficacy are available, recombinant DNA methodology received in our own time. Nevertheless, the
vaccinia and related poxviruses may be candidates for live safety of vaccination compared to the practice of variolation (inoc-
vaccines and for cancer immunotherapy. ulation with small quantities of live variola virus) and its prophylac-
tic value were soon evident. In 1801, Jenner predicted "that the
annihilation of the Small Pox, the most dreadful scourge ofthe human
species, must be the final result of this practice [vaccination]" (4).
V ACCINIA VIRUS WAS SUCCESSFULLY USED FOR THE PRE- Implementation of the Intensified Smallpox Eradication Programme
vention of smallpox and the eradication of variola virus, the by the World Health Organization (WHO) began in 1967, a year in
causative agent of that disease. The protective effect of which there were 131,776 reported cases of smallpox in 31 different
vaccination was reported by Edward Jenner in 1798 (1). Vaccinia
virus was initially isolated directly or indirectly from infected cows The author is in the Laboratory of Viral Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and
(Fig. 1, top). Subsequently, some preparations ofvaccine came from Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
1662 SCIENCE, VOL. 252
Monoclonal antibodies in diagnosis and therapy
TA Waldmann (June 21, 1991)
Science 252 (5013), 1657-1662. [doi: 10.1126/science.2047874]
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