New type of pneumococcal vaccine developed by KI scientists

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have identified a new vaccine candidate against pneumococci, bacteria that can cause pneumonia, sepsis, and meningitis. The vaccine molecules comprise nano-sized membrane vesicles produced by the bacteria and provide protection in mice, a new study published in PNAS reports. The pneumococcus (also known as Streptococcus pneumoniae) is the most common cause of ear and sinus infection, but also a major contributor to more severe diseases such as pneumonia, sepsis (blood poisoning) and meningitis. Pneumococcal infections mainly affect children below the age of two and the elderly, and claim almost two million lives globally every year. A pneumococcal vaccine has been included in Sweden’s childhood vaccination programme since 2009. The vaccine has been developed to protect against severe infections in children, but only targets a fraction of the close to one hundred different types of pneumococcal bacteria that have been described so far. Urgent need for new vaccine strategies Since childhood...