title: Group A streptococcal antigens and vaccine potential.
abstract: Attempts over the past seventy years to produce an effective vaccine to protect humans against group A streptococcal infections and their immunologically mediated sequelae (acute rheumatic fever and post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis) have been frustrated by two basic problems, first, the ability of the highly protective cell-surface M proteins to elicit potentially harmful host reactions and second, the existence of a large number of distinct serovars of M proteins and the fact that human immunity to group A streptococcal infections is predominantly M serovar-specific. In recent years, progress towards overcoming these problems has been greatly facilitated by an increased understanding of the structural and immunological properties of protective group A streptococcal antigens, which has emerged from molecular biology studies. This article reviews these studies and discusses the potential for developing an effective group A streptococcal vaccine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Medical School, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Kehoe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D004351:Drug Resistance; D000939:Epitopes / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D009895:Opsonin Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D010587:Phagocytosis; D011323:Primates / Q000276:immunology; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013297:Streptococcus pyogenes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D000939:Epitopes; D009895:Opsonin Proteins; C014689:streptococcal M protein