Fighting Disease With Genetic Engineering

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28YEARS AGOThe intensity of poultry production in South Africa has resulted in vaccines failing to provide complete control over infections. Microbiologists in the UK were thus determined to produce genetically engineered vaccines, which would provide greater protection and have fewer side-effects.

“Veterinary scientists in several countries are using gene manipulation techniques in a long-term effort to produce revolutionary live vaccines against poultry disease. These techniques make it possible to take genetic information from disease-producing agents and radically change the site and extent of its expression.

“Thus a virus gene can be transferred into a bacterium and modified in such a way that virus products capable of immunisation against the virus disease are made by the bacterium. The products can be extracted and used to prepare a vaccine. This could enable the manufacture of cheaper sub-unit, non-living vaccines.