The Sterilisation of Vaccines; and the Influence of the Various Methods Employed on their Antigenic Properties

Extract

A vaccine may, in general, be denned as a standardised suspension of killed bacteria. It is true that in a few instances living organisms are employed as vaccines as in the case of the Haffkine prophylactic for Cholera and the sensitised vaccines of Besredka. Notwithstanding these few exceptions it is suspensions of killed bacteria which are in most general use therapeutically as vaccines. According to Wright's method the bacteria employed in the preparation of a vaccine are killed by heat, the temperature actually employed ranging from 53° C. to 65° C. for one half to two hours. This method of sterilising vaccines has been largely employed, but has recently been subjected to much criticism. It has been stated that employment of heat in the sterilisation of vaccines has impaired the value of the vaccine, the heat coagulating albumin, increasing the toxicity and diminishing the immunising properties of the vaccine.