Just In
- 1 hr ago Navratri 2024 Date In April: When Will Chaitra Navratri Festival Start? Significance Of 9 Days, Deets Inside!
- 1 hr ago Ramadan 2024: 6 Bollywood-Inspired Outfit Ideas To Shine During The Holy Month
- 3 hrs ago Personality Traits Of April Born Babies: From Being Witty, To Charismatic And More, They Are Full Of Sheer Joy
- 4 hrs ago Festivals In April 2024: Check Out The Full List Of Tyohar And Vrats That Will Fall This Month
Don't Miss
- Sports RCB vs KKR: Will Mitchell Starc play today for Kolkata Knight Riders against RCB?
- News Bank Holidays in April 2024: Is Bank Closed On Easter Monday? Here's State Wise List Of All Holidays In April
- Movies Aadujeevitham The Goat Life OTT Release Date & Platform: When & Where To Watch Prithviraj’s Film? - UPDATE
- Finance Market Sees Record Surge This Fiscal; Sensex & Nifty Rise 30%; NSE Market Cap Soars By $1.5 Trillion
- Technology Tecno Pova 6 Pro 5G Review: The King of Fast Charging with a Small Catch!
- Automobiles Nissan And Renault To Launch Four New SUVs In Strategic Collaboration
- Education UGC NET June 2024: Application process to begin next week, Know more
- Travel Explore Tamil Nadu's Diverse Wedding Venues
Oral Covid Vaccine Protects Against Disease, Transmission: Study
A COVID-19 vaccine designed to be taken orally not only protects against the disease, but also decreases the airborne spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to other close contacts, according to a study conducted on animals.
The research, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, demonstrates the potential of the vaccine to work through the mucosal tissue to neutralise SARS-CoV-2, limiting infections and the spread of active viruses in airborne particles.
"Considering most of the world is under-immunised - and this is especially true of children - the possibility that a vaccinated person with a breakthrough infection can spread COVID to unimmunised family or community members poses a public health risk," said Stephanie N Langel from Duke University Medical Center in the US.
"There would be a substantial benefit to developing vaccines that not only protect against disease, but also reduce transmission to unvaccinated people," Langel said in a statement.
The researchers - including teams from the US vaccine developer, Vaxart, and clinical research non-profit, Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute - tested the vaccine that uses an adenovirus as a vector to express the spike protein of the virus.
The spike protein is used by SARS-CoV-2 to enter and infect the human cells. The human vaccine is designed to be taken as a pill, they said. In studies using hamsters, the vaccine elicited a robust antibody response in blood and the lungs.
When the animals were exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus at high levels, prompting breakthrough infections, they were less symptomatic than non-vaccinated hamsters, and had lower amounts of infectious virus in the nose and lungs.
Because of this, they did not shed as much virus through normal airborne exposures, according to the researchers.
Unlike vaccines that are injected into the muscle, they said, mucosal immunisations increase the production of immunoglobulin A (IgA) - the immune system's first line of defence against pathogens - in the nose and lungs.
These mucosal ports of entry are then protected, making it less likely that those who are vaccinated will transmit the infectious virus during a sneeze or cough, the researchers said.
"Our data demonstrate that mucosal immunisation is a viable strategy to decrease the spread of COVID through airborne transmission," Langel said.
The researchers noted that the study focused on the original SARS-CoV-2 virus, and new studies will be designed to test the vaccine against Omicron variants.
- disorders cureCommon COVID Symptoms In Fully Vaccinated Individuals: What You Should Know
- wellnessMild COVID Linked To Life-Threatening Blood Clots, Increased Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease; Study
- wellnessCOVID-19 Variants In India: New COVID Variant May Pose Threat To Elderly People
- basicsCovid-19 Linked To Early Onset Of Periods: What You Need To Know
- wellnessCOVID XBB Variants Of Omicron In India: What You Should Know
- disorders cureNew Omicron Subvariant BQ.1 Detected In Maharashtra: What You Should Know
- disorders cureOmicron BF.7 In India, Risk Of Fresh Wave During Diwali: What You Should Know
- disorders cureWhat Is ‘Centaurus,’ New Fast-Spreading Covid Variant: Everything You Need To Know
- health75 Years Of Independence, 75 Days Of Free COVID Booster Shots; For Everyone Aged 18-59 From 15 July
- wellnessWhat Are The Health Risks Of Getting COVID The Second Or Third Time? 7 Important Points
- wellnessCovid-19 Vaccine Protects People Of All Sizes: Lancet Study
- wellnessGovt Panel Recommends Emergency Approval For SII's Covovax For 7-11 Year Olds