Resumo

AMBROSIO, Ana María; SAAVEDRA, María del Carmen; RIERA, Laura Marisa  e  FASSIO, Rubén Miguel. Argentine production of live attenuated vaccine candid #1 to prevent argentine hemorrhagic fever. Acta bioquím. clín. latinoam. [online]. 2006, vol.40, n.1, pp.5-17. ISSN 0325-2957.

The emergence of Argentine hemorrhagic fever (AHF) at the beginning of the ´50s represented an exceptional challenge to Argentine scientists: a new human pathology with a high lethality rate was affecting a conspicuous region -of high economical importance- of the Argentine territory. Facing this challenge with dedication and, undoubtedly, more intellectual than financial resources, made it possible that three years after the clinical description of the disease, Junin virus was shown to be its etiological agent, being this the second arenavirus reported, following the prototype of the arenavirus group Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis virus, isolated in 1933. During the ´60s and ´70s fundamental progress was made with the demonstration of Junin virus natural reservoir and many findings on the physiopathology and epidemiology of AHF, being already envisioned that this was a controllable but not an eradicable disease. During this same period the therapeutical use of convalescent´s plasma (neutralizing antibodies transference) was shown to dramatically decrease the mortality rate of the disease, and several important research projects were started to develop an efficacious vaccine to control AHF. This paper is a non exhaustive chronicle of events that led to the manufacture of a vaccine (Candid #1) against AHF in Argentina, and was written to honor Dr. Ricardo Margni, a great immunologist. It is also intented to show one of the many ways in which immunology principles, diffused by Dr. Margni along his rich research and teaching background, can improve society’s life quality.

Palavras-chave : Argentine hemorrhagic fever; Arenaviridae; Candid #1 vaccine; Argentine manufacture of viral vaccines.

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