Study Helps Explain Why Previous Attempts to Develop a Staph Vaccine Have Failed
upstart writes in with an IRC submission for chromas:
Study helps explain why previous attempts to develop a staph vaccine have failed:
Staph bacteria, the leading cause of potentially dangerous skin infections, are most feared for the drug-resistant strains that have become a serious threat to public health. Attempts to develop a vaccine against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have failed to outsmart the superbug's ubiquity and adaptability to antibiotics.
Now, a study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis may help explain why previous attempts to develop a staph vaccine have failed, while also suggesting a new approach to vaccine design. This approach focuses on activating an untapped set of immune cells, as well as immunizing against staph in utero or within the first few days after birth.
The research, in mice, found that T cells -- one of the body's major types of highly specific immune cells -- play a critical role in protecting against staph bacteria. Most vaccines rely solely on stimulating the other main type of immune cells, the B cells, which produce antibodies to attack disease-causing microorganisms such as bacteria.
The findings are published online Dec. 24 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Across the globe, staph infections have become a pervasive health threat because of increasing antibiotic resistance. Despite the medical community's best efforts, the superbug has shown a consistent ability to elude treatment. Our findings indicate that a robust T cell response is absolutely essential for protection against staph infections."
Juliane Bubeck Wardenburg, MD, PhD, senior author, director of the University's Division of Pediatric Critical Care
Lee B, Olaniyi R, Kwiecinski J, Bubeck Wardenburg J. Staphylococcus aureus a-toxin suppresses antigen-specific T cell response. The Journal of Clinical Investigation. Online Dec. 24, 2019.
Read more of this story at SoylentNews.