xperiments in mice have shown early success in vaccinating them against potentially deadly bacterial infections, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcal aureus, or MRSA, the strain resistant to most drug treatments.
The new vaccination strategy, developed by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, targets toxic molecules released by all staphylococcal bacteria, called leukocidins, rather than directly targeting the bacteria.
Attempts to develop a staphylococcal vaccine have so far failed, researchers say, in part because leukocidins kill immune system cells, or leukocytes, needed by the immune system to fight the infection and whose production is triggered by a vaccine. As a consequence, these bacteria release leukocidins to evade not only an immediate immune cell attack, but also to prevent the infected host, whether human or mouse, from developing any long-term immunity through antibodies, which are also produced by leukocytes.
