Realizing the seriousness of the problem created by enterococcal infections, our group of experienced vaccine researchers has been involved in the development of novel solutions. Besides, our team has also been investigating novel therapeutic approaches to counter the increasing threat of enterococcal infections, especially caused by antibiotic-resistant strains.
Introduction to Enterococcus Infection
Enterococci are resilient gram positive opportunistic organisms. They have been identified as a gram-negative pathogen with opportunistic characteristics. These bacteria inhabit the intestines and can, when the host's immunity is lowered, spread to other parts of the body through mucosal surfaces. Bacteremia, urinary tract infections, and endocarditis are some of the infections they are able to cause.
The increasing resistance of microbial strains combined with strains, such as VRE, has gradually turned these strains into a menace that the body is hard pressed to assure survival. Due to this crisis, big changes, whether in vaccine or therapeutic methods, need to take place.
Fig. 1 Opsonophagocytic killing activity of anti glycoconjugate rabbit sera against prototype enterococcal strains. (Romero-Saavedra F., et al., 2019)
Vaccine Development for Enterococcus Infection
Polysaccharide Antigens
- Lipoteichoic acid (LTA): Structural immunology suggests that the conserved polyglycerolphosphate backbone of LTA is a promising candidate for broad protective antigen, giving rise to opsonic antibodies that can kill not only Enterococcus but other Gram-positive pathogens as well.
- Enterococcal polysaccharide antigen (Epa): This rhamnan based polysaccharide is crucial for biofilm formation and virulence and thus could be a good vaccine candidate.
- Diheteroglycan (DHG): The capsular polysaccharide of encapsulated Enterococcus faecalis strains, DHG has shown the ability to elicit protective antibodies to these clinically important serotypes.
Protein Antigens
- SagA: It is a secreted protein that is of fundamental importance as it binds to the components of extracellular matrix resulting in the formation of opsonic antibodies.
- Gelatinase (GelE): This is a secreted virulence factor which has recently been put forward as a possible means of engendering an immune response as a vaccine candidate.
- Microbial surface components recognizing adhesive matrix molecules (MSCRAMMs): Such as collagen adhesin Ace may confer protection against infective endocarditis.
- Pilus proteins: These surface appendages that mediate biofilm formation are being evaluated as probable targets in vaccine development.
Therapeutics Development for Enterococcus Infection
A uniformly appropriate alternative therapy combining beta-lactams has been amply described, among which the combination of ampicillin with ceftriaxone has presented comparable outcomes to the standard therapy in addition to common tetracycline side effects to include nephrotoxicity or ototoxicity that manifests with long term use of aminoglycosides.
Besides improving antibiotic regimens, scientists have been trying out a range of new treatment methods in tackling enterococcal infections including antiadhesive and antimicrobial coatings, antibody based therapies, phage-derived therapies and commensal probiotic cocktails. To find out about our comprehensive therapy development services please follow the link below.
Our Services
We are committed to the cause of developing strong therapies and vaccines against enterococcal infections, and therefore, we provide a wide range of services to support research and development at various levels. We offer unparalleled scientific knowledge and management services to our clients, thanks to our multidisciplinary workforce alongside advanced infrastructure and modern technologies.
Infectious Disease Models
- Peritonitis, Bloodstream and systemic Infection Models
- Gastrointestinal Infection Models
- Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) Models
- Catheter-associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI) Models
- Surgical Site Infection (SSI) Models
- Endodontic Infection Models
Teaming up with us means you can leverage our highly skilled workforce and proficient teams to speed up the creation of unique solutions that could be pivotal in curbing the increasing concern of enterococcal infections. Should you wish to contact us for a consultation in case any of our services caught your interest, we would be delighted to assist.
References
- Romero-Saavedra Felipe, et al. "Conjugation of different immunogenic enterococcal vaccine target antigens leads to extended strain coverage." The Journal of infectious diseases 220.10 (2019): 1589-1598.
- Kalfopoulou Ermioni, and Johannes Huebner. "Advances and prospects in vaccine development against enterococci." Cells 9.11 (2020): 2397.
All of our services and products are intended for preclinical research use
only and cannot be used to diagnose, treat or manage patients.
