Potential role for mucosally active vaccines against pneumococcal pneumonia.

Abstract

Pneumococcal pneumonia is a life-threatening disease with high mortality and morbidity among children under 5 years of age, the elderly and immunocompromised individuals worldwide. Protection against pneumococcal pneumonia relies on successful regulation of colonisation in the nasopharynx and a brisk alveolar macrophage-mediated immune response in the lung. Therefore, enhancing pulmonary mucosal immunity (which includes a combination of innate, humoral and cell-mediated immunity) through mucosal vaccination might be the key to prevention of pneumococcal infection. Current challenges include a lack of information in humans on mucosal immunity against pneumococci and a lack of suitable adjuvants for new vaccines. Data from mouse models, however, suggest that mucosally active vaccines will enhance mucosal and systemic immunity for protection against pneumococcal infection.

• Authors: Kondwani C Jambo, Enoch Sepako, Robert S Heyderman, Stephen B Gordon
• Journal: Trends in microbiology (Trends Microbiol) Vol. 18 Issue 2 Pg. 81-9 (Feb 2010) ISSN: 1878-4380 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 20031415 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Review)
• Copyright: (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Pneumococcal Vaccines

Topics

• Animals
• Disease Models, Animal
• Humans
• Immunity, Mucosal
• Mice
• Models, Biological
• Pneumococcal Vaccines (immunology)
• Pneumonia, Pneumococcal (immunology, prevention & control)