title: Preventing bacterial infections with pilus-based vaccines: the group B streptococcus paradigm.
abstract: We recently described the presence of 3 pilus variants in the human pathogen group B streptococcus (GBS; also known as Streptococcus agalactiae), each encoded by a distinct pathogenicity island, as well as the ability of pilus components to elicit protection in mice against homologous challenge. To determine whether a vaccine containing a combination of proteins from the 3 pilus types could provide broad protection, we analyzed pili distribution and conservation in 289 clinical isolates. We found that pilus sequences in each island are conserved, all strains carried at least 1 of the 3 islands, and a combination of the 3 pilus components conferred protection against all tested GBS challenge strains. These data are the first to indicate that a vaccine exclusively constituted by pilus components can be effective in preventing infections caused by GBS, and they pave the way for the use of a similar approach against other pathogenic streptococci.
authors.affiliation: Novartis Vaccines, Siena, Italy.
authors.forename: Immaculada
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Margarit
authors.forename: Cira Daniela
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Rinaudo
authors.forename: Cesira L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Galeotti
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Maione
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ghezzo
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Buttazzoni
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rosini
authors.forename: Ylenia
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Runci
authors.forename: Marirosa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mora
authors.forename: Scilla
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Buccato
authors.forename: Massimiliano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pagani
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tresoldi
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berardi
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Creti
authors.forename: Carol J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.forename: John L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Telford
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Grandi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012703:Serotyping; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D013292:Streptococcus agalactiae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*
chemical_list: D001428:Bacterial Vaccines