Foods as production and delivery vehicles for human vaccines

Vaccination is a great asset for eradication of infectious diseases in human, and animals. With the prevalence of antibiotic resistant bacterial strains and an alarming increase in new and re-emerging pathogens. the need for vaccination continues to be a high priority, for mammalian diseases In the last several years, a Nobel approach for developing improved mucosal subunit vaccines has emerged by exploiting the use of genetically modified plants. It has been demonstrated that plant-derived antigens are functionally similar to conventional vaccine,, and can induce neutralizing antibodies in mammalian hosts. Using genetically engineered plants for the production of immunogenic peptides also provides a new approach tor the delivery of a plant-based subunit vaccine, i.e., oral delivery, provided these immunogenic peptides are expressed in an edible part of the plant. such as grain or fruit, Thus, food crops can plan a significant new role in promoting human health by serving as vehicles for both production and delivery of vaccines.