Infections by Staphylococcus aureus cause significant morbidity and mortality around the world, but up until now no effective vaccines have been developed. Some prior attempts at vaccination actually led to higher mortality in the vaccinated group. However, a group at University of Iowa developed a vaccine targeting S. aureus virulence factors that has shown promise in animal models.
Pertinent Study Design and Conclusions:
Rabbits (often used as an analog for human S. aureus disease) were inoculated with the vaccine.
Each rabbit then had a high dose of various strains of MSSA or MRSA introduced via the respiratory tract and were monitored for pneumonia.
86/88 vaccinated rabbits survived while only 1/88 non-vaccinated rabbits survived.
Bottom Line:
While not available for human use yet, this is the first promising vaccine against S. aureus infections (including MRSA). Stay tuned…
University of Maryland Section of Global Emergency Health
Author: Andi Tenner, MD, MPH, FACEP
References
Spaulding AR, Salgado-Pabon W, Merriman JA, et al. Vaccination against Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia. J Infect Dis. First published online Dec. 19, 2013 doi:10.1093/infdis/jit823.
