
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, December 8, 1994                   TAG: 9412080035
SECTION: NATL/INTL                    PAGE: A-13   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK                                 LENGTH: Short

NASAL VACCINE MAY PROTECT FROM DISEASE

A drop of vaccine in the nose made mice build an extra line of defense against germs, suggesting that nasal vaccines may someday protect people against a host of diseases.

The possibilities include bacterial pneumonia, food poisoning, urinary tract infections and sexually transmitted diseases including AIDS, said researcher Solomon Langermann.

In his study, mice got a single drop of an experimental Lyme-disease vaccine inside the nose, and for the past year and a half, have been protected against that disease.

The nasal vaccine was designed to alert anti-disease defenses in the lining of the nose, in what amounts to an extra layer of protection compared with an injected vaccine.

The mice developed defenses not only in the bloodstream, but also in the cells that line the mouth, nose, digestive tract and other body passageways. In people, this extra defense might wipe out germs before they can penetrate into the body's tissues, Langermann said.

An easily administered nasal vaccine might also help vaccination campaigns in developing countries.

Langermann, of Medimmune Inc. of Gaithersburg, Md., and other scientists present the results of the mouse work in today's issue of the journal Nature.

by CNB