MRSA, Mersa, Staph, Staff Infection, Treatment & Symptoms

Syntiron edge closer to MRSA Vaccine

EXCLUSIVE: Syntiron scores major vaccine deal with Sanofi Pasteur : MedCity News.

Minnesota–Syntiron LLC, a biotech start-up, has signed a $149 million licensing deal with Sanofi Pasteur in Lyon, France to develop a vaccine against so-called “super bugs,” bacteria that have become resistant to antibiotics. Under the agreement, Syntiron and Sanofi Pasteur, the world’s largest vaccine maker, will jointly create a vaccine to combat Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which causes deadly staph infections in hospitals and other health care settings. The goal is to start selling the vaccine in the United States and Europe in three years,

Dublin doctors working on MRSA vaccine

More at Irish Examiner.

Trinity College Dublin Prof Tim Foster and his group have been working on the mechanisms of the hospital-acquired superbug since the early 1990s with funding from the Health Research Board (HRB) and Wellcome trust. In 1994 they isolated a surface protein from the bacterium called clumping factor A (ClfA) that binds to a blood protein called fibrinogen, a key step of the infection process. ClfA has the potential to form the basis of a vaccine and in the project,  It could also be used as a preventative measure – during emergency surgery for instance, when the patient is particularly vulnerable to infection," he pointed out.

Patients could get injections against MRSA 'within six years'

Link: Patients could get injections against MRSA 'within six years' - Telegraph.

A full blown vaccine against the deadly superbug could be available within a decade, they say. MRSA was linked to the deaths of more than 1,600 people in Britain last year. The infection is particularly difficult to fight because it is resistant to many antibiotics. Its rise in recent years has been blamed on poor hygiene and a lack of hand washing in hospitals. Now researchers at Harvard University have successfully tested a vaccine in animals. The team have developed a way to create short term protection against the infection, which they hope to test in humans within the next 12 to 18 months.

Bacteria glue points to superbug vaccine

Link: Bacteria glue points to superbug vaccine: scientist - Yahoo! News.

A sticky glue secreted by drug-resistant bacteria could help scientists develop an effective vaccine against "superbugs," U.S. researchers told a conference on Wednesday. ADVERTISEMENT The sticky substance is a complex sugar called PNAG which the researchers said was a promising vaccine target because animal studies have shown it produces a protective immune response when manipulated chemically. The bacteria produces the substance when growing a biofilm that protects them from antibiotics, Gerald Pier of Harvard Medical School told the Society for General Microbiology's meeting in Dublin.

MRSA Vaccine tested on mice

Link: The anti-fungal rAls3p-N vaccine protects mice against the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus -- Spellberg et al., 10.1128/IAI.00700-08 -- Infection and Immunity.

Vaccination with the recombinant N-terminus of the candidal adhesin, Als3p (rAls3p-N), protects mice from lethal candidemia. Candidal Als3p is also structurally similar to the Microbial Surface Components Recognizing Adhesive Matrix Molecule (MSCRAMM) adhesin, clumping factor (ClfA), from Staphylococcus aureus. To determine the potential for cross-kingdom vaccination, we immunized mice with rAls3p-N or negative control proteins and challenged them via the tail-vein with S. aureus or other gram positive or gram negative pathogens. The rAls3p-N vaccine, but neither tetanus toxoid nor a related Als protein (Als5p), improved survival of vaccinated mice subsequently infected with multiple clinical isolates of S. aureus, including methicillin-resistant (MRSA) strains. The rAls3p-N was effective against S. aureus when combined with aluminum hydroxide adjuvant. However, the vaccine did not improve the survival of mice infected with other bacterial pathogens. Vaccinated, infected mice mounted moderated Type 1 immune responses. T lymphocyte-deficient mice were more susceptible to S. aureus infection, but B lymphocyte-deficient mice were not. Furthermore, T but not B lymphocytes from vaccinated mice mediated protection in adoptive transfer studies. Passive transfer of immune serum was not protective. These data provide the foundation for cross-kingdom vaccine development against S. aureus and Candida, which collectively cause 200,000 bloodstream infections resulting in ≥40,000-50,000 deaths annually in the United States alone.

MRSA Action UK sceptical of vaccine

Link: Charities Aid Foundation - MRSA Action UK sceptical of vaccine.

Charity MRSA Action UK has warned that a proposed vaccine against MRSA may not be as effective as promised. According to the organisation, they support the potential development of such cures but believe that health professionals should remain "cautious" about the prospects of the vaccines. The Chief Medical Officer has heralded a medical breakthrough which scientists claim may be able to prevent infection with c-difficile in five years and MRSA in anywhere between five and ten years. However, MRSA Action UK warns that promises of a cure do not offer help to those suffering now, adding that there are at least 11 strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. It added that the evolution of the bacteria will make the production of any sort of panacea very difficult. The charity called on the Government to "wake up to the fact that other more dangerous and virulent bacteria are just over the horizon, and unless we bring in the most stringent policies on hygiene in our hospitals we will lose the battle against these bacteria".

Hospital bug vaccines 'in 10 years'

Link: The Press Association: Hospital bug vaccines 'in 10 years'.

The Government's chief medical officer will predict that vaccines against two hospital bugs will be available within a decade, when he publishes his annual report on Monday. Professor Sir Liam Donaldson said immunising patients against MRSA and Clostridium difficile (C diff) would be a "big breakthrough". He also said more research was needed into why Britain had seen a sharp increase in rates of cancer of the gullet in men. Britain now has the highest incidence of the disease in Europe. Sir Liam gave a preview of his annual report's themes in interviews with The Observer and The Sunday Telegraph. The details, confirmed by the Department of Health, include a vaccine against C diff being developed within five years and one against MRSA made available within five to 10 years.

Vaccine protection against Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia

Link: Vaccine protection against Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia -- Wardenburg and Schneewind, 10.1084/jem.20072208 -- The Journal of Experimental Medicine.

Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia causes significant mortality in hospitalized or healthy individuals, and recent increases in morbidity are attributed to the rapid spread of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains, which are often not susceptible to antibiotic therapy. {alpha}-Hemolysin (Hla), a secreted pore-forming toxin, is an essential virulence factor of MRSA in a mouse model of S. aureus pneumonia. We show that the level of Hla expression by independent S. aureus strains directly correlates with their virulence. Active immunization with a mutant form of Hla (HlaH35L), which cannot form pores, generates antigen-specific immunoglobulin G responses and affords protection against staphylococcal pneumonia. Moreover, transfer of Hla-specific antibodies protects naive animals against S. aureus challenge and prevents the injury of human lung epithelial cells during infection. Thus, Hla vaccination or immunotherapy may prevent S. aureus pneumonia in humans.

A vaccine for Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia? -- DeLeo and Otto, 10.1084/jem.20080167 -- The Journal of Experimental Medicine

Link: An antidote for Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia? -- DeLeo and Otto, 10.1084/jem.20080167 -- The Journal of Experimental Medicine.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is the leading cause of bacterial infections in the United States. Severe invasive MRSA infections, which include pneumonia, are difficult to treat because the bacteria are resistant to antibiotics. A new report now shows that immunization against {alpha}-hemolysin (Hla), a cytolytic toxin secreted by most S. aureus strains, protects mice against lethal pneumonia. This finding represents the first successful vaccine strategy for the treatment of staphylococcal pneumonia.

Surface proteins of Staphylococcus aureus may provide vaccine

Link: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

     Staphylococcus aureus is the most common cause of hospital-acquired infection. Because of the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains, these infections represent a serious public health threat. To develop a broadly protective vaccine, we tested cell wall-anchored surface proteins of S. aureus as antigens in a murine model of abscess formation. Immunization with four antigens (IsdA, IsdB, SdrD, and SdrE) generated significant protective immunity that correlated with the induction of opsonophagocytic antibodies. When assembled into a combined vaccine, the four surface proteins afforded high levels of protection against invasive disease or lethal challenge with human clinical S. aureus isolates.

Superbug vaccine 'shows promise'

Link: Superbug vaccine 'shows promise'

     A vaccine to guard against hospital superbug MRSA is a step closer, according to scientists. US researchers have developed a vaccine that protected mice from four potentially deadly strains of MRSA. Writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team said the study could lead to a human vaccine, though more work was needed. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus often strikes in hospitals where patients' immune systems are weak. It is difficult to fight because it has developed a resistance to certain antibiotics. The team looked for a vaccine using a technique called 'reverse vaccinology', which builds on recent genetics advances. It involved sifting through the genome of Staphylococcus aureus to hunt for proteins on the microbe that might spark the body's immune system into action, producing protection against the bacteria. The team identified four proteins that prompted a strong immune response, making them good targets for vaccines.

VACCINE BID TO BEAT BUG

Link: Mirror.co.uk

      RESEARCHERS claim to have found a possible vaccine to prevent MRSA. Now they are working with a manufacturer to develop the jab, which would be given to patients and staff in hospitals. Around a quarter of the population carry the bug harmlessly in their noses. The team at Sheffield University found it produces more than 100 proteins during human infection. Non-carriers have a potential natural immunity against some of the proteins, which led to the vaccine. Human trials are planned by US firm Biosynexus, which funded the research. Prof Simon Foster, who is working on the vaccine, told the Journal of Infectious Diseases: "MRSA is difficult to treat due to the increase of resistance towards antibiotics used in hospitals. This has led to renewed efforts to develop a vaccine."

Nabi Biopharmaceuticals Initiates Phase I Study of Staphylococcus aureus Type 336 Vaccine

Link: Infection Control Today

Nabi Biopharmaceuticals announced today the initiation of the first human clinical study for its vaccine being developed to prevent Staphylococcus aureus type 336 infections in at-risk patients.  Patients at the highest risk for S. aureus infections include dialysis patients, patients undergoing certain types of invasive surgery, patients in intensive care or shock-trauma units, patients receiving cancer chemotherapy or other immune suppressive treatments, and patients in long-term care facilities.  This is a Phase I study that will evaluate safety and immune response of the vaccine in healthy volunteers.

Much more detail at the link above

Researchers test vaccine to prevent MRSA

Link: Researchers test vaccine to prevent dangerous Staphylococcal infections.

Vanderbilt University Medical Center infectious diseases researchers are launching a trial for a new vaccine against Staphylococcus aureus. The vaccine, if proven effective, could help curb the growing threat of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), an emerging organism rapidly spreading through close personal contact. The new vaccine, called StaphVAX , is a conjugate vaccine that was developed for patients who are at high risk of S. aureus infections. StaphVAX targets S. aureus types 5 and 8, the cause of approximately 85 percent of all S. aureus infections. "This vaccine appears to be very safe, and has proven so in several other trials, even among study recipients with serious chronic illnesses," said Buddy Creech, M.D., a fellow in Pediatric Infectious Diseases and the study's co-investigator. StaphVAX is intended to stimulate a recipient's immune system to produce antibodies to S. aureus that provide active, long-term protection from the bacteria. "Previously, this vaccine has been tested in both healthy and chronically ill patients, has been found to be safe, and has generated a substantial immune response. In addition, this vaccine has been effective in reducing the risk of staph infections in a study of dialysis patients," said Thomas Talbot, M.D., assistant professor of Medicine & Preventive Medicine, associate hospital epidemiologist, and the study's other principal investigator

MRSA Vaccine firm open in Eire

Link: RTE Business - US drug developer opens in Bray.

Nabi develops and markets products that help the immune system to fight infectious diseases. One of its products is StaphVAX, an immunisation against the bacterial infection MRSA, which affects 10,000 hospital patients a year in Ireland. Click here to find out more! The Bray operation will initially be involved in marketing and sales for the European market. It will employ up to 40 people by the end of 2006. A second stage of development may include the construction a manufacturing facility.