Whooping cough is a highly contagious respiratory disease, caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis, which today affects 24 million people per year worldwide, mainly infants and people with weakened immune systems. Vaccines already exist, which are widely used and effective in preventing whooping cough. However, these vaccines do not completely eliminate bacteria from the upper respiratory tract, so vaccinated individuals can still spread the disease.
The new vaccine combines traditional pertussis antigens with this innovative adjuvant called T-vant, which strengthens the body’s immune response specifically in the respiratory tract. T-vant adjuvant is derived from bacterial outer membrane vesicles, tiny particles that naturally stimulate the immune system.
New vaccine protects and prevents transmission
The study carried out on mouse models of pertussis, shows that:
- the new T-vant vaccine administered nasally eliminates bacteria from the respiratory tract: the mice no longer have any trace of the bacteria in the lungs and nasopharynx – the upper part of the throat located behind the nose – 3 weeks after the infection and vaccination;
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the adjuvant boosts a “mucosal” immune response,
- the adjuvant stimulates the activation of essential immune cells in the respiratory tract which reduces the colonization capacity of bacteria;
- on the other hand, there remains a bacterial load in the upper respiratory tract of mice vaccinated with the traditional vaccine intramuscularly;
- finally, no adverse effects on lung tissue are observed after vaccination with the new vaccine.
Lead author Dr. Lisa Morici, professor of microbiology and immunology at Tulane University adds: “This vaccine, which can not only protect people but also prevent transmission, will help limit its spread in communities and perhaps achieve the total elimination of the disease.”
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