August 22, 2016.
A vaccine against sexually transmitted infections by the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis is under development by a team of Canadian researchers.
The experiments started on mice, using a vaccine administered to animals through a simple nasal spray, have proved to be very conclusive. The group of mice protected by the vaccine were not contaminated by the Chlamydia with which they came into contact, unlike the mice which had not been immunized by the test vaccine.
Therapy that could be used against other STDs
More interestingly, the method used to thwart the infection by Chlamydia could also be used in the prevention against other sexually transmitted diseases, such as genital herpes, the HPV virus or even, AIDS.
However, researchers had been trying to develop a vaccine against Chlamydia for about 30 years, without success, when‘it is the most common sexual infection in Europe and North America, against which antibiotic treatment is fortunately effective. Canadian researchers have successfully stimulated the immune response in laboratory mice by training their bodies to recognize a protein, BD584, which is found on the surface of most Chlamydia bacteria, of which there are many variants, hence the difficulties in detecting and eradicating them.
Chlamydia: a silent infection
Between 50 and 70% of adults infected with Chlamydia do not know it because the symptoms are difficult to detect. The risks are real, however, including pelvic disease in women and infertility for both sexes.
Read also: Chlamydia: symptoms, tests and treatments
