A team of researchers from Duke University, located in North Carolina (USA), has developed a new vaccine against urinary tract infections, the first results of which in mice were published in November 2022 in Science Advances.
The scientists isolated three epitopes present on the surface of protein receptors of lines ofE. coli uropathogens, in order to limit the impact of their candidate vaccine on bacterial strains ofE. coli benign. They then created a matrix of self-assembled peptide nanofibers with some ends carrying these three epitopes, while others helped the vaccine penetrate. This type of matrix covered with epitopes, a new type of vaccine, had already proven its effectiveness in inducing strong immune responses in previous works from Duke University.
To demonstrate the effectiveness of their vaccine, the researchers administered to healthy mice 8 µL of vaccine solution under the tongue (N = 5 mice), or a tablet containing the components of the vaccine capable of self-assembling into nanofibers. peptides (N = 10 mice). Immunized again after 2, 6 and 8 weeks, the mice received at the 14e week an injection ofE. coli uropathogens expressing the three epitopes chosen by the researchers. Among the 5 control mice, only one had survived 72 hours after injection, against 12 of the 15 vaccinated mice.
Finally, the scientists compared the survival of 10 healthy mice taking antibiotics daily 3 days before a urinary tract infection at week 14, with that of 10 mice having previously received the vaccine solution sublingually at weeks 0, 2, 4, 9 and 12. Survival was equivalent between the two groups, while the microbiome of vaccinated mice retained its diversity, unlike that of mice given antibiotics. The authors conclude that their approach is promising for developing an effective and inexpensive vaccine to provide long-term protection against urinary tract infections without increasing antibiotic resistance.