Necrotizing Fasciitis, also known as 'flesh-eating' bacteria, is a bacterial infection that damages tissues in a short period of time. This infection can cause death in the individual. One of the most common bacteria that causes this infection is group A Streptococcus.
There are some treatments that can be done against this infection, but it mostly involves antibiotics and surgeries (Necrotizing Fasciitis, 2016)
As with other bacteria, group A Streptococcus has a protein coating, and the reason that there is not a vaccine for it is that group A strep has different types of strains. These strains have different protein coatings. The protein coating is called the M protein.
When bacteria enters the body, the immune response of the body immediately tries to fight against the bacteria by using antibodies. The antibodies have to be specific for that bacteria's protein coating. Since there are many strains of group A strep and each have different M proteins, then the body that armed up with antibodies specific to a strain of group A strep will not work for another strain of group A strep. That made it hard for scientists to find a vaccine that fights against this bacteria. However, a group of researchers discovered C4BP. This is a human binding protein. This binding protein binds to not just one M protein, but the majority of M proteins of the group A strep.
Knowing this, biochemist wanted to study the interactions between proteins of the M proteins and C4BP using computers. These studies allowed the biochemists to find patterns that were hidden between all the M proteins that they were studying.
These biochemists now have the idea that a vaccine can be developed that gives antibodies that act like the C4BP in that it recognized many M proteins.
A vaccine is know being developed by chemists at the UC San Diego, and with collaborations of Nizet, an infectious disease expert.
The biochemists' published paper can be found at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27595425
When I was younger I remember listening about a 'flesh-eating' bacteria on the news in Bolivia. I remember feeling really scared of it. For a while I was really scared that I would get something like that, or that anybody in my family would get it. Due to this worry of mine, I started reading all sorts of articles about it, but could not find a specific cure for it that does not include amputations. Seeing the title of this article then called my attention.
References
Biochemists' discovery could lead to vaccine against 'flesh-eating' bacteria. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2017, from http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2016/09/05/biochemists_discovery_could_lead_to_vaccine_against_flesheating_bacteria.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%2Bbiologynews%2Fheadlines%2B%28Biology%2BNews%2BNet%29
Necrotizing Fasciitis: A Rare Disease, Especially for the Healthy. (2016, June 15). Retrieved March 27, 2017, from https://www.cdc.gov/features/necrotizingfasciitis/
How long until this vaccine will come out? Also, How effective will it be in fighting the flesh eating bacteria when there are so many different strains associated with the M protien?
ReplyDeleteI did some research on your question Lindsay, and from what I have found it seems we are barely taking the first steps to developing a vaccine. One page I read stated, "it may be years, if ever, before we see this vaccine reach the market." Hopefully development continues, as this article also stated that about 500,000 die from flesh eating bacteria every year.
DeleteTD
I found this article really interesting. As a nurse, I used to work in the ICU and have seen necrotizing faciitis before, resulting in amputation. This vaccine could help a lot of people, particularly those in lesser developed countries. I also wonder if the same techniques used in developing this vaccine could be used to combat other bacteria that cause signicificant problems, such as staphyloccocus infections like MRSA. If so, this could be highly beneficial research in the world of healthcare and infectious disease.
ReplyDeleteEF
When I first heard about necrotizing Fasciitis, I thought that term "flesh eating bacteria" was just a term used to scare people into thinking it is more harmful than it really is. However, after doing research of my own and veiwing pictures of people who have had necrotizing fasciitis, I quickly realized how serious this bacterial disease really is. My questions is, how do people normally contract this disease? It seems that people in less developed countries are more susceptible to this disease, why is that? P.S.
ReplyDeleteAfter a little be of research the reason a person in a less developed country would get this disease over a person here in the united states would be because you are most susceptible after surgery, bug bite, or even a minor cut. Third world countries do not have the sanitation we have here in America, especially in hospitals.
DeleteWill this vaccine when released be made to everyone or will they only offer the vaccine to those who are having episodes of flesh-eating bacteria? Are there concerns of the flesh eating bacteria mutating and becoming resistant to other antibiotics with the creation of the vaccine? AVB
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