A review of the current status of oil adjuvants in foot--and--mouth disease vaccines.

Review of lipovaccines since 1916, including oil adjuvants (1935-1943) and the two Freund's adjuvants. The first oil-adjuvanted vaccines appeared in 1961. Criticism of the water-in-oil and oil-in-water vaccines and description of the mineral oil adjuvants which are available today. The authors set forth the advantages of oil adjuvants and secondary reactions which might occur; they are particularly interested in the foot-and-mouth disease vaccine intended for use in swine and express their regret that no method of standardization has yet been adopted for oil-adjuvanted vaccines which are promising but which necessitate still further study.