Vaccine protects mice against MRSA superbug

[Guest guest]

What are they going to do when they've discovered vaccines for all the

ailments of mankind?

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn10409-vaccine-protects-mice-against-mr

sa-superbug.html

Vaccine protects mice against MRSA superbug

22:36 30 October 2006

NewScientist.com news service

Roxanne Khamsi

A newly developed vaccine might serve as a useful weapon against the

drug-resistant superbug MRSA, researchers say. Tests in mice have shown that

the vaccine can protect against multiple types of MRSA, which can cause

fatal infections in humans.

Experts say the discovery of a broadly effective vaccine is especially

important as more infectious MRSA strains have recently emerged. They also

stress that patients with compromised immune systems face an ever-increasing

risk of acquiring MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus,

while in hospital.

Olaf Schneewind at the University of Chicago, Illinois, US and his

colleagues came up with the new vaccine by identifying the bits of genetic

code that eight different S. aureus strains share. This genetic analysis

revealed 19 proteins that can be found on the cell surface of all eight

strains.

Researchers then tested what type of immune response each of these proteins

could trigger in mice by injecting the proteins individually into the

animals. Of the 19 tested, they selected the four protein types that

elicited the greatest immune system reaction and combined them into a single

vaccine.

Schneewind’s team then injected this combination into mice. Three weeks

later they exposed the mice to different types of MRSA. All mice that

received the vaccine survived exposure to the virulent MRSA strain that

causes community-acquired infections in humans. By comparison, 65% of the

control mice exposed to the same strains died.

Also, while all of the control mice exposed to the hospital-acquired MRSA

strain “USA100” died within 36 hours, 60% of vaccinated mice survived this

strain.

Preventative measure

Researchers say that if the new vaccine proves effective in future trials,

it might be given to people prior to having surgeries, such as hip

replacements, to protect them against MRSA while in hospital.

Hospitals have come under fire recently for not taking the necessary steps

to disinfect against MRSA, which can be found on the skin and in the nose.

“The cleanest looking hospital can be riddled with infection,” says Tony

Field of the Birmingham, UK-based organisation MRSA Support.

One recent study has found that MRSA causes 12,000 inpatient deaths each

year in the United States alone. Doctors also fear that MRSA will become

resistant to the very few antibiotics that currently work against it.

The increase in outbreaks of MRSA taking place outside hospitals means such

infections may become a wider public health problem in the future. “A

vaccine would be vitally important under such circumstances,” says Field.

Schneewind says that human clinical trials of other MRSA vaccines have had

disappointing results. He believes his approach will work because, unlike

previous vaccines, it uses multiple S. aureus proteins to trigger the immune

system.

Journal reference: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (DOI:

10.1073/pnas.0606863103)

[Guest guest]

Then we'll never die! Woo-hoo!!!

On Tuesday, October 31, 2006, at 01:00 AM, mum2mishka wrote:

> What are they going to do when they've discovered vaccines for all the

> ailments of mankind?

>

> http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn10409-vaccine-protects-mice-

> against-mr

> sa-superbug.html

>

> Vaccine protects mice against MRSA superbug

>

> 22:36 30 October 2006

>

> NewScientist.com news service

> Roxanne Khamsi

>

> A newly developed vaccine might serve as a useful weapon against the

> drug-resistant superbug MRSA, researchers say. Tests in mice have

> shown that

> the vaccine can protect against multiple types of MRSA, which can cause

> fatal infections in humans.

>

> Experts say the discovery of a broadly effective vaccine is especially

> important as more infectious MRSA strains have recently emerged. They

> also

> stress that patients with compromised immune systems face an

> ever-increasing

> risk of acquiring MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus,

> while in hospital.

>

> Olaf Schneewind at the University of Chicago, Illinois, US and his

> colleagues came up with the new vaccine by identifying the bits of

> genetic

> code that eight different S. aureus strains share. This genetic

> analysis

> revealed 19 proteins that can be found on the cell surface of all eight

> strains.

>

> Researchers then tested what type of immune response each of these

> proteins

> could trigger in mice by injecting the proteins individually into the

> animals. Of the 19 tested, they selected the four protein types that

> elicited the greatest immune system reaction and combined them into a

> single

> vaccine.

>

> Schneewind’s team then injected this combination into mice. Three weeks

> later they exposed the mice to different types of MRSA. All mice that

> received the vaccine survived exposure to the virulent MRSA strain that

> causes community-acquired infections in humans. By comparison, 65% of

> the

> control mice exposed to the same strains died.

>

> Also, while all of the control mice exposed to the hospital-acquired

> MRSA

> strain “USA100” died within 36 hours, 60% of vaccinated mice survived

> this

> strain.

>

> Preventative measure

> Researchers say that if the new vaccine proves effective in future

> trials,

> it might be given to people prior to having surgeries, such as hip

> replacements, to protect them against MRSA while in hospital.

>

> Hospitals have come under fire recently for not taking the necessary

> steps

> to disinfect against MRSA, which can be found on the skin and in the

> nose.

> “The cleanest looking hospital can be riddled with infection,” says

> Tony

> Field of the Birmingham, UK-based organisation MRSA Support.

>

> One recent study has found that MRSA causes 12,000 inpatient deaths

> each

> year in the United States alone. Doctors also fear that MRSA will

> become

> resistant to the very few antibiotics that currently work against it.

>

> The increase in outbreaks of MRSA taking place outside hospitals means

> such

> infections may become a wider public health problem in the future. “A

> vaccine would be vitally important under such circumstances,” says

> Field.

>

> Schneewind says that human clinical trials of other MRSA vaccines have

> had

> disappointing results. He believes his approach will work because,

> unlike

> previous vaccines, it uses multiple S. aureus proteins to trigger the

> immune

> system.

>

> Journal reference: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

> (DOI:

> 10.1073/pnas.0606863103)

>

>

**********

" At that point, I had the right to remain silent... but I didn't have

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