Yellow Fever Vaccine: Time for an Upgrade?

Emerging strains of yellow fever virus (YFV) in South America have reduced the protective potency of YFV vaccines.

The current YFV vaccines are live-attenuated derivatives of YF-17D (a virulent African strain) that have been in use for decades. Recent years have brought a resurgence in South America of YFV strains carrying genetic mutations that increasingly distinguish them from YF-17D. Haslwanter et al. explored the hypothesis that the recent YFV epidemic in Brazil is based at least in part on attenuation of vaccine-conferred immunity against emerging YFV strains.

As shown in a virus-based reporter viral particle (RVP) assay, serum neutralization potency of YF-17D vaccine recipients was excellent in vitro against the vaccine strain as well as virulent African and Chinese strains. However, no increase in neutralizing titers was observed against viral pa…

Reviewing Author

George Sakoulas, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardParatek Pharmaceuticals; Nestle Corp.; AbbVie; Shionogi

Speaker’s BureauAllergan/AbbVie; Paratek Pharmaceuticals; Nestle Corp.

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Editorial BoardsAntimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy; Open Forum Infectious Diseases