Researchers Develop Nasal Vaccine Against Chlamydia; Seen as Best Way to Prevent the Disease
The first widely protective chlamydia vaccine is now in sight. Scientists believe that this new development will help effectively protect a person from chlamydia infections. The vaccine was developed by a team of scientists from McMaster University, and instead of injecting the vaccine on a muscle like traditional vaccinations, this will be administered through the nose.
What Is Chlamydia?
Chlamydia is a common sexually transmitted disease that affects more than 100 million people around the world but could be undetected for years. Because of this condition, people with chlamydia may not get treatment, and untreated infections can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease and even infertility.
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At present, there are no approved vaccines for chlamydia, and most studies and research for the development of a vaccine have failed. This latest development in the cure for chlamydia infection is definitely promising.
David Bulir, PhD graduate at McMaster University and co-author of the study, said, "Vaccination would be the best way to prevent a Chlamydia infection, and this study has identified important new antigens which could be used as a part of a vaccine to prevent or eliminate the damaging reproductive consequences of untreated infections."
Roadmap of the Study
Scientists focused their research on the potential of the novel antigen known as BN584 to become a vaccine against C. trachomatis. The antigen was able to treat two symptoms of the C. trachomatis, namely, chlamydial shedding and fallopian tubes fluid accumulation. These symptoms were reduced 95 percent and 87.5 percent, respectively.
The antigen was also effective against other strains of C. trachomatis such as strains that cause trachoma and chlamydia.
Intra-nasal Administration
The new vaccine was designed to be easy to administer and less painful to use. So instead of injecting the vaccine on a muscle just like regular vaccines, it was made to be administered intra-nasally or through the nose. This way, even regular people can do it in the privacy of their homes. They don't need the help of a trained professional to do it.
There is one out of 20 sexually active young women in the age of 14 to 24 who has chlamydia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Every year, around 2.86 million people in the United States are infected by the disease, and two-thirds of these are young adults from 15 to 24 years of age.
