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August 28, 2002

U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Scientists Map Genome of Strep Bug"

Reuters Health Information Services (www.reutershealth.com) (08/27/02); McKinney, Merritt

Traditionally, vaccine development takes more than 10 years, but following a project to find the complete genetic road map to Streptococcus agalactiae, or group B strep (GBS) type V, the development time for a vaccine will likely take only five years, according to Herve Tettelin of the Institute for Genomic Research and the first author of a report on the project's findings.  The complete mapping of GBS type V, rather than just identifying targets for a vaccine, shows researchers all possible targets and offer all pieces of the puzzle to scientists to better aid them in vaccine development, Tettelin noted.  The actual mapping was done by Claire M. Fraser of the Institute for Genomic Research and her colleagues, and is published online in the early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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