|
MeNZB is a vaccine against a specific strain of group B meningococcus, currently being used to control an epidemic of meningococcal disease in New Zealand. Most people are able to carry the meningococcus bacteria safely with no ill effects. However, meningococcal disease can cause meningitis and septicaemia, resulting in brain damage, failure of various organs, severe skin and soft-tissue damage, and death. A vaccine is an antigenic preparation used to establish immunity to a disease. ...
Neisseria is a genus of bacteria, included among the proteobacteria, a large group of gram-negative forms. ...
Meningitis is the inflammation of the protective membranes covering the central nervous system, known collectively as the meninges. ...
Immunisation with MeNZB requires three doses, administered approximately six weeks apart (except in newborns, who have them in conjunction with their 6-week, 3-month and 5-month injections). People who have been fully immunised may still carry the meningococcus bacteria and may still contract meningocoocal disease.
Each dose is 0.5 ml and contains:
The vaccine does not contain any whole bacteria (alive or dead). The "outer membrane vesicles" it contains are a small part of the "skin" of the bacteria that let the immune system recognise and prepare for being infected with the real thing. Binomial name Neisseria meningitidis Albrecht & Ghon, 1901 Neisseria meningitidis, also simply known as meningococcus is a gram-negative bacterium best known for its role in meningitis. ...
Aluminium hydroxide, Al(OH)3, is the most stable form of aluminium in normal conditions. ...
In medicine, adjuvants are agents which modify the effect of other agents while having few if any direct effects when given by themselves. ...
Histidine is one of the 20 most common natural amino acids present in proteins. ...
The correct title of this article is . ...
In medicine, saline is a solution of sodium chloride (a substance also commonly known as table salt) in sterile water, used frequently for intravenous infusion, rinsing contact lenses, and nasal irrigation (or the yogic practice called jala neti). ...
Phyla Actinobacteria Aquificae Chlamydiae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus-Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Lentisphaerae Nitrospirae Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Verrucomicrobia Bacteria (singular: bacterium) are unicellular microorganisms. ...
MeNZB vaccine does not contain any human, blood, or bovine (cow)products, egg products, neomycin or the preservative thiomersal (mercury). There are no live meningococcal bacteria in the vaccine and it is not possible to catch the disease or become a carrier of the disease from the vaccine. Human blood smear: a - erythrocytes; b - neutrophil; c - eosinophil; d - lymphocyte. ...
An egg is a body consisting of an ovum surrounded by layers of membranes and an outer casing of some type, which acts to nourish and protect a developing embryo. ...
Neomycin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic that is found in many topical medications such as creams, ointments and eyedrops. ...
The immune system will normally not mount an immune response to the outer membrane vesicles if they are presented alone. The presence of the adjuvant forces the immune system to respond to the membrane vesicles by acting to prevent their breakdown and elimination, while causing local tissue damage to provoke the desired immune reaction.
The histidine pH buffer is to ensure the vaccine stays as close as possible to the pH of human body fluids. This is to ensure the immune system does not waste time trying to neutralise the vaccine instead of responding to the outer membrane vesicles.
The saline (sterile salt and water) is also like packaging. It is required so that all of the above can be dissolved into a solution that can be injected. It is the same salinity (saltiness) as normal human body fluid.
The antigen in MeNZB is prepared from B:4:P1.7b,4 (NZ 98/254 ) N. meningitidis strain, grown in a fermentor. The bacteria are grown in a synthetic culture medium containing sugar, essential amino acids and essential elements such as iron and potassium. The fermentation does not use bovine or porcine products. The cellular outer membranes are extracted with the detergent deoxycholate, which kills the bacteria. Outer membrane vesicles are purified out of the culture medium by ultracentrifugation, stabilised by histidine and then adsorbed to aluminium hydroxide Al(OH)3 as an adjuvant. Purification is achieved by ultrafiltration/diafiltration.
Since its introduction the vaccine has had a dramatic impact on the epidemic.[citation needed]
The vaccine, originally developed in Norway was never released for widespread use in that country. Norwegian authorities never approved their variant of the vaccine for use on infants and babies.
References
External links | 
Feeds |
Contact