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Seeking a Better Mousetrap

Eugene D. Shapiro, MD

JAMA. 1992;267(20):2788-2790.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

Immunization against communicable diseases is one of the great successes of modern medicine. Smallpox has been eradicated. In developed countries, diseases such as polio, diphtheria, and tetanus, which once ravaged populations, have been virtually eliminated. Newer vaccines, such as the polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccines against Haemophilus influenzae type b, are likely to have a similar impact. Work continues on many new vaccines that are developed and produced using sophisticated techniques of modern molecular biology. Already, we are using genetically engineered vaccines against hepatitis B. Why then, in this age of genetic cloning, do we still use a crude, whole-cell vaccine against Bordetella pertussis (a vaccine that essentially is a preparation of killed, whole bacteria) to prevent whooping cough? The excellent study by Onorato et al¹ published in this issue of THE JOURNAL reminds us of a major reason that we use whole-cell pertussis vaccine: it works!

See also p 2745. . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
From the Departments of Pediatrics and Epidemiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn.

Footnotes
Reprint requests to Department of Pediatrics, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar St, New Haven, CT 06510-8064 (Dr Shapiro).

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