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Microbial evolution (Communication arising)

Antitoxin vaccines and pathogen virulence

Nature volume 417, pages 609–610 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

In their mathematical description of vaccine-induced immunity1, Gandon et al. predict that the host's immunity to a microbial toxin will lead to increased virulence of the pathogen without affecting its transmission. However, results obtained using vaccines against two additional bacterial pathogens are not consistent with this prediction. The model proposed by Gandon et al. may therefore be an oversimplification, with the outcome depending on the biological details of both the pathogen and the vaccine.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Affairs, Aventis Pasteur, Lyon, 69007, France

    Benoit Soubeyrand

  2. Department of Paediatrics, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, 19104

    Stanley A. Plotkin

  3. Aventis Pasteur, Doylestown, Pennsylvania, 18901, USA

    Stanley A. Plotkin

Authors
  1. Benoit Soubeyrand
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  2. Stanley A. Plotkin
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Correspondence to Stanley A. Plotkin.

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Soubeyrand, B., Plotkin, S. Antitoxin vaccines and pathogen virulence. Nature 417, 609–610 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/417609b

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/417609b

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