A new vaccine targeting the three most common human fungal infections has shown promising results in early preclinical studies. The data pave the way for future human trials to test this panfungal vaccine in hopes of preventing infections that are associated with more than one million deaths annually.
About HBO’s new series Last of Us, we are introduced to a world ravaged by a fungal pandemic. In the series’ fictional world, a particular kind of mind-control fungus evolves to thrive inside our warm bodies, causing hellish spectacles of infected human zombies.
The Last of Us | Episode 1 | Fungal Pandemic Takeover Explained in Full
But there is real science behind this horrifying fiction. While it is true that the majority of fungi cannot survive at human body temperature, there are some species of fungi that thrive in the warmth of our bodies.
There are trillions of microorganisms living in each of us. This is known as our microbiome. Most of these microbes are bacteria, but many others are also found, such as parasites and viruses.
About ten years ago, researchers discovered that thriving populations of fungi also exist in humans. Dozens of species of fungi, called the mycobiome, are known to live symbiotically in our bodies, most of which are relatively harmless. But some people are not friends, especially if they are immunocompromised.
It is estimated that approximately 1.6 million people worldwide die each year from invasive fungal infections. In 2022, the World Health Organization published its first-ever list of “Priority Fungal Pathogens”, citing fungi as a serious new public health threat. There are limited antifungal drugs available, and the rate of fungal resistance to these important drugs is increasing.
“There is a significant unmet clinical need for this type of prevention and treatment, especially among immunocompromised patients,” said Karen Norris, principal investigator of the new study. “The number of patients at risk of invasive fungal infections has increased significantly over the past few years.”
Three specific genera of fungi account for the majority of fatal fungal infections in humans – Aspergillus, CandidaWhen PneumocystisSo researchers set out to develop recombinant peptide vaccines targeting these three major pathogens.
New research published in the journal PNAS Nexus have reported on the efficacy of this experimental vaccine in several animal models. The study revealed that this vaccine, called NXT-2, effectively elicited broad cross-reactive antibody responses in all animal models. The vaccine also reduced morbidity and mortality in immunosuppressed animals exposed to the three major pathogens.
“This vaccine targets three different pathogens, so it could be a breakthrough for invasive fungal infections,” said Norris.
Research is just beginning and a little more work is needed to establish optimal formulations and dosages before preliminary human trials can begin. .
In 2022, Justin Beardsley, an infectious disease researcher at the University of Sydney, worked with WHO to develop a list of priority fungal pathogens. He said that tackling current and emerging fungal pathogens is an important research priority that has long been neglected.
“Fungus is a ‘forgotten’ infectious disease,” Beardsley said late last year.
A new study was published in PNAS Nexus.
Source: University of Georgia
