The University of Georgia researchers have developed a vaccine which successfully protects against certain fungal infections, including yeast infections.
The researched vaccine had previously shown to protect against the three most common fungal pathogens. The three fungi are responsible for over 80% of fatal fungal infections. The vaccine has now been tested for a fourth time, with it successfully protecting against vaginal yeast infections in mice. With this latest finding, the vaccine will now enter clinical trials. If those are successful, the vaccine will be the first ever to prevent pathogenic fungal infections.
The clinical trials will begin with women who have recurrent yeast infections. Recurrent yeast infections affect hundreds of women globally, costing billions of dollars in health care visits, medication, and lost productivity every year in just the United States. The results of this first trial will inform researchers for future trials, which could treat transplant recipients and cancer patients. These two groups are more vulnerable to life-threatening fungal infections.
Fungal infections are common in those with immune disorders, including people with uncontrolled HIV as well as those going through chemotherapy. Though, recent studies have shown that this risk population has expanded in recent years.
Karen Norris, lead author of this study, says it is critical for prevention of these infections as drug resistance is on the rise, causing infections to become harder to treat.
