In mBio this week, a new study offers hope for a vaccine against group A Streptococcus (GAS). GAS is familiar to most of us as the cause of Strep throat, but it’s more than that. It’s also the cause of some serious and invasive infections, including septic arthritis, impetigo, and necrotizing fasciitis, so a vaccine for group A Strep (GAS) could not only keep Strep-throat-prone kids in school, it could potentially spare a great deal of human suffering.
The study in mBio follows up on earlier work that found the GAS protein streptolysin O was an effective antigen to use in an experimental vaccine in mice. However, streptolysin O is also a really potent toxin, so a vaccine that uses unadulterated streptolysin O could do more harm than good.
Click on the source link to read more on mBio's blog, mBiosphere...
