Autovaccination: Effective Personified Treatment of Chronic Infections (When Antibiotic Therapy Is Powerless)

Abstract

In this article we review and discuss data of the use and mechanisms of action of autovaccines. The idea of autovaccination is that killed microorganisms could be used not only in prevention, but also in the treatment of infections. Autovaccines are prepared individually from strains of microorganisms isolated from the patient. The pathogens are inactivated and then administered in increasing concentrations. Autogenous vaccines permit treatment of infections caused by bacteria against which no preventive vaccine has been available.
 Autovaccine therapy has a long history, it have been used since the beginning of the 20th century to treat chronic infections. From the literature is known, that autovaccines have been used for treatment diseases’ of the skin, bones, joints, digestive organs, genitals, periodontal, eye, ears, nose and respiratory system the history of the half-century use of auto vaccines has shown that they may be a promising alternative in the treatment of chronic infections.
 However from the middle of the 20th century autovaccines have been forgotten because of efficient antibiotic therapies. But now rapid spread of multiresistant bacterial and fungal strains enforces the development of new strategies to combat chronic infections. In view of the variability of the bacterial species, personalized approaches could hold promise for patients with recurrent or chronic infection. Therefore interest to autovaccines returns.
 Autovaccines have been used to treat ongoing chronic infection but their mechanism of action is still unknown. Recently, the results of several studies have been published that examined the effects of autovaccines on the immune system. But published data are quite inconsistent and incomplete. Therefore further research is required in this area.
 So clinical studies from the early 1900s and novel autovaccination approaches suggest an alternative strategy to antibiotic therapy.