Urinary infections affect millions of people and are especially frequent in the female population, since it is estimated that more than half of women will have at least one urinary infection in their lives, and between 5-10% suffer from three or more times each year. They are usually treated with antibiotics, but some people develop chronic infections that recur several times a year and need to take these drugs often, which can harm beneficial bacteria in the gut and cause gastrointestinal problems, and contribute to the development of resistance to antibiotics. the antibiotics.
A new vaccine against uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) – the main type of bacteria that causes urinary tract infections (UTIs) in people – has been developed by scientists at Duke University in North Carolina (USA). ) and consists of a pill that dissolves under the tongue could prevent the excessive prescription of antibiotics to treat urinary tract infections.
Unsuccessful attempts have been made for years to develop a vaccine to prevent UTIs, largely due to difficulties getting a drug to penetrate the cellular mucosa lining the mouth, throat and urinary tract. This experimental vaccine – which attacks only the bacteria that cause the infection and could become an alternative to antibiotics – is capable of penetrating the mucosa and can also train the immune system to recognize and fight UPEC by exposing it to three peptides present on the surface of the bacterium.
The vaccine only attacks the bacteria that cause urinary tract infection.
The route of administration of the vaccine – orally under the tongue so that it dissolves with saliva – induces an immune response in the urinary tract thanks to the fact that the mucous membranes that line the mouth and the urinary tract are similar. In addition, the drug is stable at room temperature. “Removing the cold chain requirement has the potential to reduce vaccine distribution costs,” said Sean Kelly, one of the authors of the study whose results have been published in Science Advances.
The researchers tested the vaccine in mice and rabbits and found that in mice it was as effective in preventing UTIs as high-dose traditional antibiotics, while a follow-up experiment in rabbits also showed protective effects. In addition, because the vaccine specifically targets the bacteria that cause urinary tract infections and does not affect healthy bacteria, it did not alter the balance of the gut microbiota in the animals, in which they did not observe gastrointestinal problems.
The team of researchers hopes that the good results obtained with the animals will facilitate tests with the vaccine in clinical trials with people, since if it is shown that this drug is effective in humans, the amount of antibiotics that is used could be significantly reduced. are used to treat these conditions and this would help slow the advance of superbugs that have developed resistance to antibiotics. “We will have to carry out biodistribution and safety studies before clinical trials, and we are actively seeking partners to achieve this,” said Joel Collier, another of the researchers.
.
