Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog » MRSA Vaccine Shows Promise

October 31, 2006

MRSA Vaccine Shows Promise

A vaccine to guard against hospital superbug MRSA is a step closer, according to scientists. US researchers have developed a vaccine that protected mice from four potentially deadly strains of MRSA.
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The team looked for a vaccine using a technique called “reverse vaccinology”, which builds on recent genetics advances.

It involved sifting through the genome of Staphylococcus aureus to hunt for proteins on the microbe that might spark the body’s immune system into action, producing protection against the bacteria.

The team identified four proteins that prompted a strong immune response, making them good targets for vaccines.

More information on MRSA is available from the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

by curiouscat Tags: Antibiotics, Health Care, Students
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3 Responses to “MRSA Vaccine Shows Promise”

CuriousCat: New and Old Ways to Make Flu Vaccines Says:
November 9th, 2007 at 9:07 am
“This vaccine can be produced in giant vats of living cells. Such a production method means it can be scaled up much faster than egg-based vaccines, making it more useful in a pandemic. Several versions have been tested successfully in people…”
CuriousCat: MRSA Blows Up Defender Cells Says:
November 12th, 2007 at 12:52 am
“This elegant work helps reveal the complex strategy that S. aureus has developed to evade our normal immune defenses…”
CuriousCat: Vaccine For Strep Infections Says:
March 7th, 2008 at 11:15 am
“immunization with a stabilized version of a protein found on Streptococcus bacteria can provide protection against Strep infections, which afflict more than 600 million people each year and kill 400,000…”