Promising Results From A Vaccine To Prevent Urinary Tract Infections

Editor's Choice
Main Category: Urology / Nephrology
Also Included In: Immune System / Vaccines;  Clinical Trials / Drug Trials
Article Date: 17 Sep 2009 - 17:00 PDT


An article published in the September issue of the open-access journal PLoS Pathogens reports the findings of a team of scientists from the University of Michigan (U-M). They have made a groundbreaking step toward what could become the first vaccine in the U.S. to prevent urinary tract infections. This will be the case if the immunity achieved in mice can be reproduced in humans.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) affect 53 percent of women and 14 percent of men at least once in their lives. These infections lead to lost work time. They result in 6.8 million medical provider's office visits, 1.3 million emergency room visits and 245,000 hospitalizations every year. In the United States, the annual cost is of $2.4 billion.

The U-M scientists used a new systematic approach to help combat this common health issue. They combined bioinformatics, genomics and proteomics, to look for key parts of the bacterium, Escherichia coli. This then could be used in a vaccine to obtain an effective immune response. The team of researchers was led by Dr. Harry L.T. Mobley, Ph.D. They screened 5,379 possible bacterial proteins and identified three strong candidates to use in a vaccine to prepare the body to fight E. coli. This bacterium is the cause of most uncomplicated urinary tract infections. Results showed the vaccine prevented infection. When tested in mice, it also produced key types of immunity.

Over the past twenty years, scientists have attempted to develop a vaccine for UTIs. This newest potential vaccine has features that may enhance its chances of success. It alerts the immune system to iron-receptors on the surface of bacteria that perform an important function allowing infection to spread. When administered in the nose, it induces an immune response in the body's mucosa which is a first line of defense against invading pathogens. The response was also triggered in mucosal tissue in the urinary tract. Therefore, it should help the body fight infection where it starts.

The team of scientist is presently researching and testing on more strains of E. coli obtained from women treated at U-M. Most of the strains produce the same iron-related proteins that the vaccine targets. This is a hopeful sign that the vaccine could be of use in fighting several urinary tract infections. Mobley and his team are seeking partners in clinical research. They want to move the vaccine ahead into a phase 1 trial in humans. If proven successful, it would take several more years for this vaccine to reach the market.

This work has been funded by Public Health Service Grant AI043363 from the National Institutes of Health.

"Mucosal Immunization with Iron Receptor Antigens Protects against Urinary Tract Infection"
Alteri CJ, Hagan EC, Sivick KE, Smith SN, Mobley HLT (2009)
doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1000586
PLoS Pathogens

Written by Stephanie Brunner (B.A.
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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