Pneumonia Vaccine Found Effective in Macaques

A novel pneumococcal vaccine that has been shown to be effective in macaque monkeys, was developed by researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University and published in Inflammation and Regeneration (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Prime-boost-type PspA3+2 mucosal vaccine protects cynomolgus macaques from intratracheal challenge with pneumococci

Go to source). This finding may potentially contribute to reevaluating the course of treatment for the current spike in pneumonia cases in China.

Evaluation of Pneumonia Vaccine in Macaque Monkeys

The global impact of the coronavirus pandemic has ignited a renewed focus on emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. Pneumococcal pneumonia is one of the leading causes of respiratory deaths worldwide.

Despite the existence of vaccines against pneumococcal infections such as otitis media, sinusitis, and meningitis, the prevalence of pneumococcal pneumonia remains high. Currently, around 100 new serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae have been identified, and the increase in pneumococcal infections caused by serotypes not covered by the vaccine has become a concern. This situation underscores the need for a more versatile vaccine.

Building on their previous success in mucosal responses in 2019, in which they developed a mucosal vaccine that can induce antigen-specific mucosal immune responses, mainly immunoglobulin A (IgA), on the target mucosal surface, a research team led by Professor Satoshi Uematsu and Associate Professor Kosuke Fujimoto from the Department of Immunology and Genomics at the Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University, has this time set out to bridge the gap in pneumococcal pneumonia vaccination efficacy.

To successfully develop a novel pneumococcal vaccine, the research team combined its proprietary mucosal vaccine technology with pneumococcal surface proteins that can cover a wide range of serotypes. Experiments conducted on mice and macaques have demonstrated the vaccine’s efficacy in suppressing pneumococcal pneumonia in the target animal groups.

“This next-generation vaccine technology is expected to contribute to the treatment of infectious diseases in the future,” said Professor Fujimoto.

Reference:

1. Prime-boost-type PspA3 + 2 mucosal vaccine protects cynomolgus macaques from intratracheal challenge with pneumococci - (https://inflammregen.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s41232-023-00305-2)

Source-Eurekalert