New Research Could Bring Staph Vaccine Candidates One Step Closer

According to a new article, the leading cause of death by bacterial infection, Staphylococcus aureus, may soon have vaccine candidates in clinical trials.

Over the last quarter of a century, approximately 14 investigational S aureus vaccine candidates have failed in phase 2 or 3 clinical trials. No matter how promising the strategy or how well the candidate worked in preclinical studies, none has successfully protected humans from S aureus.

In a JAMA Network Perspective published on August 2, 2024, Donavyn Coffey wrote, ...the string of unexplained vaccine failures became “an elephant in the room,” said George Liu, MD, PhD, division chief of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of California, San Diego, where his laboratory studies S aureus.

“We realized what we needed is something that could explain not just one vaccine, but lots of vaccines, not working,” Liu said.

The problem, it turns out, is a limited understanding of the foe.

Recent research from Liu’s laboratory shows that S aureus doesn’t interact with the immune system like other microbes for which there are effective vaccines. The pathogen has a means of manipulating the immune system to protect itself, rendering host defenses and classic vaccine strategies nonprotective.

It explains the years of failed trials and offers hope for a vaccine that might work.

The complete unedited article is posted at the JAM link.

This new research is essential since this bacterium is commonly found on the skin and in the nose of about 30% of individuals.

Staph usually does not cause any harm, but it can sometimes cause infections, says the U.S. CDC. In the community, people are at greater risk of staph infections if they have chronic conditions.