Today in Technology History
(To receive "Today in Technology History" by e-mail, click here. To read past issues click here.)
June 18
Exactly 20 years ago, on June 18, 1981, the U.S. government announced the creation of the world's first genetically engineered vaccine. Two decades later, that vaccine's targeted disease is still around.
Foot and mouth disease (also called "hoof and mouth" disease) affects livestock -- mostly cattle, sheep, pigs and goats. Sores and weakness are the main symptoms of the disease and, while it is usually not fatal to the animals, the attempts to contain it have historically wrought havoc on international trade, tourism and the world meat industry.
The disease is spread by a virus, and many early vaccines used dead samples of the virus to inoculate animals. However, those early vaccines sometimes caused real outbreaks. In the 1970s, scientists discovered that a vaccine could be made using only a single key protein from the virus. In 1981, genetic engineering was used to produce vast quantities of the protein: by grafting some genetic material from the virus onto laboratory bacteria, the scientists tricked the bacteria into producing only that protein. A vaccine consisting of the protein alone cannot cause the disease.
Unfortunately, as recent events in the United Kingdom and South America have amply demonstrated, controlling hoof and mouth disease is still extremely difficult and costly. The 1981 vaccine does not stop all strains of foot and mouth; scientists around the world are still trying to develop a more effective version. Today, occasional outbreaks of foot and mouth are almost inevitable, despite the technological advance represented by the vaccine.
Related links:
This UK government site has the latest official news on the foot and mouth outbreak in that country.
Here are the latest foot and mouth articles from the London Times newspaper.
| Biotechnology | Convergence | Creativity | Culture | E-conomics | Education |
| Equity | Gov't & Politics | Innovation | National Security | Personal Security |
For errors, broken links, questions or comments,
contact webmaster@tecsoc.org.
