Edible oral vaccine for cholera

The dreaded needle that used to make us jittery before the necessary visit to the doctor for immunisation may soon become a primitive way of vaccination. Efforts are underway in the Delhi University to develop a tomato based oral cholera vaccine. Researchers at the University of Delhi have introduced the cholera toxin gene in tomato plants. These tomato plants have already been standardised and made susceptible to accept the altered gen. The cholera toxin is essentially made of proteins that have been seen to produce antibodies to the disease in experimental rats. The research is a collaborative effort between the Delhi University and the Centre for Biotechnology, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi and the Institute of Microbial Technology in Chandigarh. Edible vaccines have been offing since some years now, so much so that an American magazine had recently quipped, "one day children may get immunised by munching no foods instead of enduring shots." Also edible vaccines may increase the availability of expensive medicines that are now not accessible to certain sections of the society. Foods under study as edible vaccines include bananas, potatoes, tomatoes, lettuce, rice, rice, wheat, soybeans and corn. These plants can be grown within the confines of the local region as they have always been grown and no special conditions are required to rear them. Cholera is an infectious disease that can be transmitted through contaminated food and water. Cholera vaccine is given to people going to areas where the likelihood of an outbreak is very high. However, with the advent of new genetically modified food technology, a disease free life may become no more a distant reality than one's own kitchen garden.

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