Global Strep A vaccine one step closer

The search for a global Strep A vaccine has narrowed after researchers sequenced the DNA of more than 2000 Group A Streptococcus samples from around the world. Researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the University of Cambridge, the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity (Doherty Institute) in Australia, and the University of Queensland, Australia, revealed the differences between strains from more than 20 countries, and identified potential vaccine targets present across most strains. Published in Nature Genetics, the 10-year project found there were some molecular targets present in bacterial strains from all 20 countries, including the UK, Australia and India, which point to the possibility of developing an effective global vaccine against Strep A. Group A Streptococcus bacteria, commonly known as Strep A, is one of the top 10 causes of death from infectious diseases worldwide. It is estimated to cause more than half a million deaths per year, mainly in...