New discovery may lead to a vaccine for dangerous group A Streptococcus infections

A team of researchers from the University of California San Diego has made a discovery that could lead to a vaccine for group A Streptococcus. The team found a protein, C4BP, which interacts with most strains of the bacteria. This may allow scientists to develop a vaccine that will work against 90% of group A Streptococcus strains. The details are in a paper that was just published in the journal Nature Microbiology. Group A Streptococcus bacteria are highly pathogenic and infections are responsible for over 500,000 deaths a year. The bacteria can lead to complications including toxic shock syndrome, scarlet fever, and necrotizing fasciitis (“flesh-eating disease”). There are hundreds of bacterial strains, each with a different type of antigen. The antigens of group A Strep, M proteins, are found on the surface of the bacteria and prompt an immune system response. The problem is that the M proteins show so much...