Smallpox was eradicated by vaccination with a related poxvirus, vaccinia virus, which was applied to superficially injured skin in a process called scarification. Recombinant poxvirus–based vaccines are attractive candidates for protecting against a number of different infections, but they are nowadays usually administered intramuscularly. Thomas Kupper and his colleagues now show that the traditional route of administration, scarification, enables poxvirus-based vaccines to mediate more potent immunity compared with the intramuscular route. In particular, scarification with the poxvirus vaccines induced the sort of immune responses that are required for protection of distant tissues, including the lung mucosa.
- Luzheng Liu
- Qiong Zhong
- Thomas S Kupper
