Sabin vaccine

The oral polio vaccine developed by Dr. Albert S. Sabin. The first vaccine against poliomyelitis was introduced by Dr. Jonas Salk in 1955 and was administered by injection (in 4 separate shots). The oral vaccine was created by Dr. Sabin the next year (in 1956) and is in standard use today because it is easier to administer and, importantly, it is more effective than the Salk vaccine. The Salk vaccine is now merely of historic interest. There was more than a little rivalry between Drs. and Sabin. Although Sabin's vaccine prevailed, Salk's name became better known, in part because of the publicity he received for being first and also because of the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California that was founded by the National Foundation/March of Dimes and named for him. A physician, Sabin (1906-1993) was born in Bialystok, Russia, came to the U.S. in 1921, and for many years was on the faculty at the University of Cincinnati.

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Sa·bin vaccine 'sā-bin- n a polio vaccine that is taken by mouth and contains the three serotypes of poliovirus in a weakened live state called also Sabin oral vaccine compare salk vaccine

Sabin Albert Bruce (1906-1993)

American immunologist. Beginning in the 1930s Sabin embarked upon a research project that was to occupy his time for the next 25 years: the development of a vaccine for the prevention of poliomyelitis. From 1939 he was a professor of pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. During World War II, as a member of the army medical corps, he developed vaccines effective against dengue fever and Japanese B encephalitis. Although Jonas Salk had perfected a vaccine using virus inactivated by treatment with formaldehyde by 1954, Sabin worked on the development of a vaccine prepared from live virus that had been attenuated. In 1956 he released his vaccine for use by other researchers. A year later the World Health Organization began using the Sabin vaccine on a worldwide basis. It had several advantages over the type prepared by using virus treated with formaldehyde: it was cheaply produced, it provided lifelong immunity, and it could be given orally.

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an oral vaccine against poliomyelitis, prepared by culture of the virus under special conditions so that it loses its virulence (i.e. it becomes attenuated) but retains its ability to stimulate antibody production.

A. B. Sabin (1906-93), US bacteriologist

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Sa·bin vaccine (saґbin) [Albert Bruce Sabin, Polish-born American virologist, 1906–1993] poliovirus vaccine live oral.