Step forward for pneumonia vaccine development

A vaccine against the biggest bacterial killer on the planet is a step closer to being available with funding secured for preclinical trials. Professor James Paton, Director of the University of Adelaide’s Research Centre for Infectious Diseases and his team have been working on a vaccine for Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) that could save two million lives globally a year and address the overuse of antibiotics that leads to resistance. “The pneumococcus is the biggest bacterial killer on the planet. It’s the most common cause of pneumonia, which is responsible for about 20 per cent of deaths from all causes in children under 5 years in developing countries. Globally, the pneumococcus accounts for about two million deaths a year,” says Professor Paton. Streptococcus pneumoniae, which is principally spread through close contact with infected but asymptomatic carriers, is the leading cause of sinus and ear infections, meningitis, sepsis and pneumonia. Ear infections are one...