Ricin attack could be neutralised by new vaccine

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 20 Mar 2004 - 0:00 PDT

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Scientists from the USA say that they have managed to develop a vaccine against a ricin attack - the vaccine protects the victim/patient from an inhaled form of deadly ricin.

When mice's skin were rubbed with a vaccine they all survived after inhaling ricin, said scientists at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (USA).

Ricin is super deadly. It is six thousand times more deadly than cyanide (and cyanide is pretty powerful). Tiny amounts of ricin is fatal. Ricin is produced from castor beans.

The scientists presented their findings at the Society for Microbiology's Biodefense Research Meeting.

Authorities around the world worry about a ricin attack. Only recently, traces of it were found in the US senate. In north London (UK), four people were arrested when ricin was found in their flat (apartment).

The scientists obtained a mutant form of ricin's 'A chain' and combined it with cholera toxin, explained Dr. Gary Matyas, team leader.

There are two components in ricin. There are chains A and B. They do different things as well. The B chain binds the toxins to the cells, the A chain penetrates and kills the cells.

The scientists shaved an area of the mice's skin and applied the vaccine to it. Another group of mice got a patch made out of the same vaccine.

Then the two groups (of mice) inhaled a lethal dose of aerosolised ricin. They were then boosted (with the vaccine) every two weeks.

Several weeks later the two groups of mice displayed very elevated levels of anti-ricin immune responses.

The mice which had the vaccine rubbed straight onto their shaved skin all survived - a 100% survival rate. The mice which had a patch had a 70% survival rate.

There are no vaccines currently available against ricin.

Ricin can kill a human in many ways, and within days. It kills you if you breathe it, ingest it or have it injected into you. 70 micrograms of ricin can kill you. How much is 70 micrograms? Grab one grain of salt - that grain probably weighs a bit more than that.

If you consume ricin you will experience any or all of the following:

Fever - vomiting - diarrhoea - coughing - seizures.

The victim should experience symptoms within 24 hours and die within several days.

SOME GOOD NEWS

It is difficult to disperse enough ricin in the open air to harm large numbers.

A QUESTION

Even if this research works on humans. What next? Does everyone walk around with this stuff rubbed into their skins? We do not know where and when an attack comes.

Any feedback on this would be welcomed.