Oral Bacterium Shows Promise As a Vaccination Vector

Oral Bacterium Shows Promise As a Vaccination Vector

Vaccinations remain key in preventing a variety of infections, and a new means of serum delivery may soon be on the way. As validated by scientists at the Forsyth Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Tufts University in Boston, the common oral bacterium Streptococcus mitis may serve as an effective vehicle for oral mucosal vaccinations. Lead researcher Antonio Campos-Neto, MD, PhD—a senior member of the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the Forsyth Institute, director of the Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, and a lecturer at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine—explains the relevance of the team’s findings. “Although injected vaccines are traditionally viewed as an effective means of immunization to protect internal organs, they rarely induce strong mucosal protection in the gastrointestinal tract, respiratory tract, and genitalia,” he notes. “In contrast, oral vaccinations have the potential to affordably, safely, and effectively protect these areas—thus assisting in the fight against global health threats.”

The paper, “Streptococcus mitis as a Vector for Oral Mucosal Vaccination,” published in Microbes and Infection in December, suggests that S. mitis, which naturally exists in the human oral microbiome, is more successful in eliciting mucosal immunity than the organisms previously studied. Its use as a vaccine vector helps successfully induce mucosal immune responses in the oral cavity and remote mucosal sites—and throughout the body. Future studies are planned to gauge its potential clinical use in vaccines for tuberculosis, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, and intestinal disease.

Hygiene Connection E-Newsletter

January 2015