Sexually transmitted, chlamydia infection often goes silent while it can cause infertility and blindness. A nasal vaccine is being tested for the first time.
Often asymptomatic, chlamydia can easily go unnoticed. Yet this sexually transmitted infection can lead to serious consequences. For now, the only way to protect yourself is the condom. But a vaccine could emerge in the coming years. “The efforts to develop a vaccine in the last three decades have been unproductive and there is no vaccine approved for humans”, regrets David Bulir, co-author of a study conducted at MacMaster University (Canada) and published in the journal Vaccinated. Canadian researchers have developed a vaccine for which the first results in mice are promising.
In their study, the scientists analyzed the effect of the BD584 antigen, a substance that activates immune reactions and antibodies in the body. BD584 has succeeded in reducing the bacterial excretion of chlamydia by 95%: this means that it is less contagious and is spread less easily. The antigen could be useful on infertility problems caused by the disease. Indeed, infection can promote occlusion of the uterine tubes, and BD584 reduces this phenomenon by 87.5% in mice.
Eye infections
Chlamydia infection, which affects 1 million people in France, therefore decreases fertility if it is not treated. However, the infection is discreet, revealing little or no symptoms. It can cause genital tract infections or pelvic inflammatory disease. Certain strains of the disease are also the cause of trachoma, an eye infection that can cause blindness. It is the main cause of blindness in disadvantaged countries.
The vaccine in development therefore represents a hope for preventing the disease. In mice, it was applied through the nose. Researchers will have to test other animal models before moving on to clinical trials in humans. If successful, administration through the nose would represent a definite advantage for developing countries: “It is easy and painless, it does not require highly qualified medical personnel” underlines Steven Liang, one of the authors of the report. ‘study. Enough to facilitate its dissemination and prevent some of the 113 million new infections each year.
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