Topic 5.4
How did Louis Pasteur revolutionise vaccines?
Louis Pasteur revolutionised immunology with his innovative experiments in microbiology, paving the way for modern vaccines. His work in the 1870s showcased the groundbreaking potential of live vaccines. By vaccinating livestock and proving its effectiveness against anthrax, Pasteur saved countless lives and helped the scientific foundation for immunisation. This experiment captured the public’s imagination and validated vaccination as a powerful tool against infectious diseases.
Louis Pasteur
Louis Pasteur improved vaccines through his work in microbiology. His experiments led to the development of live attenuated cholera vaccine and inactivated anthrax vaccine in humans (1897 and 1904, respectively). At the age of 46, he had a stroke but recovered to do some of his best work.
In the 1870s, he applied his method of immunising chickens against cholera to anthrax, which affected cattle. This aroused widespread interest in combating other diseases with the same approach.
In May 1881, Pasteur performed a famous public experiment. He demonstrated the concept of vaccination, in this case against anthrax. He prepared two groups of 25 sheep, one goat and several cows. The animals of one group were given two injections, 15 days apart, with an anthrax vaccine prepared by Pasteur. The other group was left unvaccinated.
Thirty days after the first injection, both groups were injected with live anthrax bacteria. All the animals in the non-vaccinated group died. All in the vaccinated group survived. The public reception was jubilant.