Accelerating the development of a group A Streptococcus vaccine: an urgent public health need.
10.7774/cevr.2016.5.2.101
- Author:
Jean Louis EXCLER
1
;
Jerome H KIM
Author Information
1. International Vaccine Institute, Seoul, Korea. JeanLouis.Excler@ivi.int
- Publication Type:Review
- Keywords:
Group A Streptococcus;
Vaccines;
Rheumatic heart disease;
M protein;
Low- and middle-income countries
- MeSH:
Adolescent;
Child;
Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte;
Female;
Glomerulonephritis;
Humans;
Impetigo;
Mortality;
Neglected Diseases;
Peptides;
Pharyngitis;
Pregnant Women;
Public Health*;
Rheumatic Fever;
Rheumatic Heart Disease;
Streptococcus*;
Tissue Donors;
Vaccines;
Young Adult
- From:Clinical and Experimental Vaccine Research
2016;5(2):101-107
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Group A Streptococcus (GAS) infections cause substantial worldwide morbidity and mortality, mostly associated with suppurative complications such as pharyngitis, impetigo, and non-suppurative immune syndromes such as acute rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart disease, and acute post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis. Deaths occur mostly in children, adolescents, and young adults in particular pregnant women in low- and middle-income countries. GAS strains are highly variable, and a GAS vaccine would need to overcome the issue of multiple strains. Several approaches have been used multivalent vaccines using N-terminal polypeptides of different M protein; conserved M protein vaccines with antigens from the conserved C-repeat portion of the M protein; incorporation selected T- and B-cell epitopes from the C-repeat region in a synthetic polypeptide or shorter single minimal B-cell epitopes from this same region; and non-M protein approaches utilizing highly conserved motives of streptococcal C5a peptidase, GAS carbohydrate and streptococcal fibronectin-binding proteins. A GAS vaccine represents urgent need for this neglected disease and should therefore deserve the greatest attention of international organizations, donors, and vaccine manufacturers.
