Antigen<unk>  is classified as a subunit<unk>  that is cell-free and containing no whole or live anthrax bacteria. The antigen (immunologically active) portions are produced from culture filtrates of a toxigenic, but avirulent, nonencapsulated mutant — known as V770-NP1-R — of the B. anthracis Vollum strain. (The Vollum strain was the same one weaponized by the old U.S. biological warfare program.) As with the Sterne (veterinary) anthrax<unk>  strain and the similar British anthrax<unk>  (known as AVP),<unk>  lacks the capsule plasmid pXO2 (required for full virulence) and is composed chiefly of the anthrax protective antigen (PA) with small amounts of edema factor (EF) and lethal factor (LF) that may vary from lot to lot. Other uncharacterized bacterial byproducts are also present. Whether or not the EF and LF contribute to the<unk> 's efficacy is not known.<unk>  has smaller amounts of EF and LF than AVP. Adjuvant<unk>  contains aluminium hydroxide (alhydrogel) to adsorb PA as well as to serve as an adjuvant (immune enhancer). As such it is believed to stimulate humoral, but not cell-mediated, immunity. Each dose of the<unk>  contains no more than 0.83 mg aluminum per 0.5 mL dose. (This is near the allowed upper limit of 0.85 mg/dose.) It also contains 0.0025% benzethonium chloride as a preservative and 0.0037% formaldehyde as a stabilizer. The mechanism of action of the adjuvant is not entirely understood. Potency/immunogenicity<unk> tion of humans with<unk>  induces an immune response to PA. More than 1/3 of subjects develop detectable anti-PA IgG after a single inoculation; 95% do so after a 2nd injection; and 100% after 3 doses. The peak IgG response occurs after the 4th (6 month) dose. The potency of<unk><unk>  lots is routinely determined both by the survival rates of parenterally challenged guinea pigs and their anti-PA antibody titres as measured by an enzyme linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA). The shelf-life of<unk>  is reported to be three years when stored between 2 °C and 8 °C (36 °F and 46 °F) and never frozen.
Anthrax vaccine adsorbed
Plant expressed vaccine
Tuberculosis vaccines
Malaria vaccine
Salvioli's diffusing vaccine
Synthetic vaccine
Anthrax vaccines
Rabies vaccine