Tuberculosis (TB) (caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis ) affects the lungs and was declared a global emergency in 1993 by the WHO. More than two decades after this declaration, the disease still remains a serious and considerable threat to global health. TB is spread through air and the disease is second only to HIV/AIDS as the greatest killer worldwide due to a single infectious agent. In 2013, nine million people fell ill with TB and 1.5 million died from the disease. Standard anti-TB drugs have been used for decades, and resistance to the medicines is widespread. Disease strains that are resistant to a single anti-TB drug have been documented in every country surveyed. Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a form of TB caused by bacteria that do not respond to, at least, isoniazid and rifampicin, the two most powerful, first-line (or standard) anti-TB drugs (source: WHO). The only effective vaccine for TB is the BCG vaccine; however it is effective in children only, not in adults. Hence there is a need for effective vaccines for TB.

Meningococcal meningitis is a form of meningitis caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis . Meningitis is characterized by inflammation of the membranes (meninges) around the brain or spinal cord. The bacteria are spread through the exchange of respiratory and throat secretions. For N. meningitidis , the amino acid sequence of the protective antigen factor H-binding protein ( fHBP ) has more than 300 variations. These sequence differences can be classified into three distinct groups of antigenic variants that do not induce cross-protective immunity. Scarselli et al. [ 1 ] demonstrated that the structure-based design of multiple immunodominant anti genic surfaces on a single protein scaffold is possible and represents an effective way to create broadly protective vaccines.

References

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[1] Scarselli M, Aricò B, Brunelli B, Savino S, Di Marcello F et al (2011) Rational design of a meningococcal antigen inducing broad protective immunity. Sci Transl Med 3:91ra62

مواضيع ذات صلة

Development of Vaccines for Viral Hepatitis, Coronavirus, and Norovirus

Development of Powerful Influenza Vaccines

Vaccines for HIV and Ebola Virus

Vaccines for Diseases Associated with Urban Areas in the Developing Countries

HIV Vaccine

Yellow Fever Vaccine

Tuberculosis Vaccine

Rotavirus Vaccines

Pertussis Vaccines

Haemophilus Influenza Vaccines

Hepatitis A Vaccines

Cholera Vaccines