Vaccine could cut complications after surgeryApril 03, 2002A vaccine has been developed, which could prevent inflammation and illness caused by certain bacterial infections following major surgery, scientists heard today (Tuesday 09 April 2002) at the spring meeting of the Society for General Microbiology at the University of Warwick. Dr Elliott Bennett-Guerrero, Chief of Cardiac Anesthesia at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, USA says, "Severe inflammation caused by bacterial toxins is becoming recognised as an important cause of illness following major surgical operations. We have developed a vaccine to toxins that are found in the Gram-negative group of bacteria, which includes E. coli 0157 and Klebseilla pneumoniae." Toxins, known as endotoxins, are made up of fats found on the cell surface of Gram-negative bacteria. When infections are treated with antibiotics these bacteria burst into pieces, which increases the amount of endotoxin released into the bloodstream. This can cause severe inflammation throughout the body and not just at the site of surgery. Dr Bennett-Guerrero says, "There are no effective treatments for inflammation induced illness. Vaccines have not previously been used to prevent Gram-negative bacteria infections in hospitalised patients because they themselves can produce inflammation. Our vaccine contains complete endotoxins from several species, which are incorporated into a liposome to avoid toxicity." "Infections following major surgery now affect over 1 in 5 patients (22%). These can cause a great deal of suffering and increase health care costs. Our vaccine is non-toxic to animals, does not cause side effects such as fever and flu-like symptoms, and should protect against a broad range of species," says Dr Bennett-Guerrero. Society for General Microbiology |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Related Bacteria Current Events and Bacteria News Articles Biologists discover bacterial defense mechanism against aggressive oxygen Bacteria possess an ingenious mechanism for preventing oxygen from harming the building blocks of the cell. Saving the single cysteine: new antioxidant system found We've all read studies about the health benefits of having a life partner. The same thing is true at the molecular level, where amino acids known as cysteines are much more vulnerable to damage when single than when paired up with other cysteines. Beyond sunlight: Explorers census 17,650 ocean species between edge of darkness and black abyss Census of Marine Life scientists have inventoried an astonishing abundance, diversity and distribution of deep sea species that have never known sunlight - creatures that somehow manage a living in a frigid black world down to 5,000 meters (~3 miles) below the ocean waves. Surface bacteria maintain skin's healthy balance On the skin's surface, bacteria are abundant, diverse and constant, but inflammation is undesirable. Research at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine now shows that the normal bacteria living on the skin surface trigger a pathway that prevents excessive inflammation after injury. On the Trail of a Vaccine for Lyme Disease: Yale Researchers Target Tick Saliva A protein found in the saliva of ticks helps protect mice from developing Lyme disease, Yale researchers have discovered. The findings, published in the November 19 issue of Cell Host & Microbe, may spur development of a new vaccine against infection from Lyme disease, which is spread through tick bites. Cigarettes Harbor Many Bacteria Harmful to Human Health Cigarettes are "widely contaminated" with bacteria, including some known to cause disease in people, concludes a new international study conducted by a University of Maryland environmental health researcher and microbial ecologists at the Ecole Centrale de Lyon in France. ORNL, Los Alamos pioneer new approach to assist scientists, farmers Sustainable farming, initially adopted to preserve soil quality for future generations, may also play a role in maintaining a healthy climate, according to researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge and Los Alamos national laboratories. UAB Researchers Discover Antibody Receptor Identity, Propose Renaming Immune-System Gene Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) have uncovered the genetic identity of a cellular receptor for the immune system's first-response antibody, a discovery that sheds new light on infection control and immune disorders. Scientists find molecular trigger that helps prevent aging and disease Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine set out to address a question that has been challenging scientists for years: How do dietary restriction-and the reverse, overconsumption-produce protective effects against aging and disease? Texas A&M Researchers Examine How Viruses Destroy Bacteria Viruses are well known for attacking humans and animals, but some viruses instead attack bacteria. Texas A&M University researchers are exploring how hungry viruses, armed with transformer-like weapons, attack bacteria, which may aid in the treatment of bacterial infections. More Bacteria Current Events and Bacteria News Articles |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||