Epidemiology Article Summary

Epidemiology Health Article Summary #2

Scientists at the UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas recently completed human testing on a ricin vaccine. Ricin is a toxin extracted from castor beans and is deadly when eaten, breathed or injected. Small amounts can cause organ failure and even death. The primary concern regarding ricin is its ease of availability, resulting in its biological agent classification. It could easily be used as a terrorist weapon and has in years past been sent to the White House and U. S. Senate building.

Volunteers were injected with the vaccine and within thirty days had produced antibodies capable of neutralizing the toxin. To test its effectiveness, mice were injected with the vaccine and survived all tests accordingly. The vaccine was also proven to be safe with no major side effects reported. Only sore arms or headaches were documented by immunologists. The new focus of research will be on optimizing the virus and tinkering with vaccine preparation in hopes of lengthening the immunity (currently 127 days). Also, scientists would like to make storage more convenient and transition into something