Researchers report the first vaccine shown to protect nonhuman primates from melioidosis, a disease caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei. The findings appeared in a scientific journal and are described as a key step toward human clinical trials.
The bacteria live in soil and groundwater and can cause aggressive pneumonia or sepsis. The disease is thought to be underreported worldwide; estimates put the annual case count in the hundreds of thousands. Mortality is high partly because the bacteria resist many antibiotics and relapse can occur after treatment.
The vaccine uses outer membrane vesicles, nanoparticles from bacteria that trigger immune responses. Tests on human immune cell samples produced antibody and T cell responses, which suggest the vaccine could work in people. Development took more than a decade and involved international collaboration, and researchers say they aim to start human trials.
Difficult words
- melioidosis — Serious infectious disease caused by soil bacteria
- primate — Mammal like monkeys or apesnonhuman primates
- sepsis — Dangerous body-wide reaction to infection
- mortality — Number of deaths in a group
- antibiotic — Medicine that kills or stops bacteriaantibiotics
- vesicle — Small particle released from a bacterial cellouter membrane vesicles
- relapse — Return of a disease after treatment ends
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Discussion questions
- Why are human clinical trials the next important step after tests on nonhuman primates?
- How might antibiotic resistance affect treatment and prevention of this disease in your country?
- If a vaccine becomes available, what challenges could public health teams face to deliver it in areas with the bacteria?
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