Vaccines for preventing Japanese encephalitis

Abstract

Only one of the three currently used vaccines has been assessed for efficacy in a RCT. Other RCTs have assessed their safety, however, and they appear to cause only occasional mild or moderate adverse events. Further trials of effectiveness and safety are needed for the currently used vaccines, especially concerning dose levels and schedules. Trials investigating several new vaccines are planned or in progress.

Crystal Structure of the Japanese Encephalitis Virus Envelope Protein

“…The virus is arthropod-borne and naturally cycles between mosquitoes and pigs or wild birds but may also be transmitted to humans and horses (29). There are multiple vaccines for JEV, but they are not universally available in Asia due to cost, licensing issues, and safety concerns (45,51,55,60). JEV is a member of the Flavivirus genus, along with several other viruses, including West Nile virus (WNV), tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), and dengue virus (DV).…”

Flaviviruses: Yellow Fever, Japanese B, West Nile, and Others

“…Early vaccines were produced by inactivating virus grown in mouse brain or in primary hamster kidney (PHK) cells [ 135 ]. These vaccine constructs were used in the United States and Europe (BIKEN; distributed as JE-Vax by Sanofi Pasteur, Lyon, France) [ 142 ]. Seroconversion rates (i.e., quantitative neutralizing antibody titers following vaccination) and effi cacy varied according to the population studied (indigenous vs. nonindigenous to JEV endemic area) and number of doses administered (one, two, or three doses) in the primary immunization series [ 135 , 143 ].…”

Japanese Encephalitis: Perspectives and New Developments

“…The prevention of JE presently involves vector control vaccination and in some cases, particular modification of environment. However, the risk cannot be completely absent, and it is necessary to draw attention to other methods aiming at decreasing man-vector contact [7,13,[29][30][31][32][33].…”