Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 1 July 2005:
Vol. 309. no. 5731, p. 15
DOI: 10.1126/science.309.5731.15g
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

This Week in Science

The prominent bacterial pathogen group B Streptococcus (GBS) is responsible for the majority of sepsis and meningitis cases between birth and 2 months of age. Based on evidence that effective maternally derived antibody protection can be transferred to newborns, different conjugate vaccines against the prevalent western serotypes are currently being assessed in clinical trials, but a rationally designed, multiunit vaccine that could broadly protect against global serotypes would be highly desirable. To identify potential antigens suitable for use in a universal GBS vaccine, Maione et al. (p. 148) scanned the genome sequences of eight GBS strains that represent the most important disease-causing serotypes. On the basis of immunological tests, GBS proteins were identified that were conserved between all strains globally. From these, a four-antigen vaccine combination emerged as the most effective at generating broad serotype immunity. Pili are often important in virulence in Gram-negative bacteria through their role in adhesion, but are usually not usually associated with Gram-positive strains such as Streptococcus. Lauer et al. (p. 105) nonetheless have identified pilus-like structures in GBS through immunogold electron microscopy which are composed of antigens that confer protective immunity in mouse models of maternal immunization.




To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)