Superbug fears for whooping cough

UNSW Sydney researchers are calling for a new whooping cough vaccine in the face of a rise of evolving strains that can evade vaccine-generated immunity. The bacteria of the highly contagious respiratory disease are becoming better at colonizing hosts, whether they have been vaccinated or not. Australia’s whooping cough epidemic from 2008 to 2012 saw more than 140,000 cases, with a peak of almost 40,000 in 2011. The current vaccine, widely used since 2000, targets three antigens in the bacteria, but UNSW research demonstrates that a new vaccine is needed to protect vulnerable members of the community from the emergence of superbug strains. In a series of UNSW studies, with the latest published in Vaccine, researchers found that the evolving strains made additional changes to better survive in their host, regardless of that person’s vaccination status. They also identified new antigens as potential vaccine targets. First author and microbiologist Dr Laurence Luu, who...