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July 22, 2002
U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS
"Impossible Vaccine Tames Staphylococcus Aureus"
Scientist (www.the-scientist.com) (07/08/02) Vol. 16, No. 14, P. 24; Hollon, Tom
Debate has raged for nearly 30 years over whether Staphylococcus aureus had polysaccharides and whether those polysaccharides could be used for a vaccine, with most of the data denying both. S. aureus is common, but it generally threatens just immunosuppressed patients, newborns, and those undergoing surgery. It is also becoming more antibiotic-resistant. Walter Karakawa began hunting for S. aureus' polysaccharides in 1974, in the face of much criticism, and used a serological approach; vaccinologist John B. Robbins became Karakawa's patron and tried to create a conjugate S. aureus vaccine. Such a vaccine would require a component for each type, and by 1990 types 5 and 8 vaccines were ready for safety testing in humans, but the general response from the medical community when the vaccines elicited type-specific antibodies was that the antibodies would not protect against infection. Research director Ali Fattom decided to demonstrate that the antibodies protected against infection with an animal model, in which he corrected possible flaws in previous researchers' experiments, and his successes began to swing medical opinion toward the vaccine. A clinical trial tested in-patients on hemodialysis and showed an estimated vaccination efficacy of 57 percent. The markets for the vaccine could prove very lucrative, and there are no competitors to manufacturer Nabi Biopharmaceuticals, but it is still a few years away from the market.
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