Working towards a group A streptococcal vaccine: report of a collaborative Trans-Tasman workshop.
Group A Streptococcus (GAS) infections represent a major public health burden in both developing and developed countries. In Australia and New Zealand GAS associated diseases are serious problems in Indigenous populations and a major cause of health inequality. Political recognition of these inequalities is providing impetus for strategies that reduce GAS disease and the development of a GAS vaccine now has governmental support in both Australia and New Zealand. Accordingly, an expert workshop was convened in March 2013 to consider available data on GAS vaccines. M-protein based vaccines constructed from the hyper-variable N-terminal region (30-valent vaccine) or the conserved C-repeat domain (J8 vaccine) were reviewed together with vaccine candidates identified using multi high-throughput approaches. Performing a comprehensive assessment of regional GAS strain epidemiology, defining the immune correlates of protection, and the establishment of clinical trial sites were identified as critical activities for a Trans-Tasman vaccine development programme.
School of Biological Sciences and the Maurice Wilkins Centre, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Nicole J
NJ
Moreland
Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
Claire S
CS
Waddington
Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology and Maurice Wilkins Centre, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand; Institute of Environmental Science and Research, Wellington, New Zealand.
Deborah A
DA
Williamson
Imperial College, Faculty of Medicine, London, United Kingdom.
Shiranee
S
Sriskandan
Institute of Molecular Biology and Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium; Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Pierre R
PR
Smeesters
Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology and Maurice Wilkins Centre, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Thomas
T
Proft
Centre for International Child Health, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Andrew C
AC
Steer
School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences and Australian Infectious Disease Research Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia.
Mark J
MJ
Walker
School of Biological Sciences and the Maurice Wilkins Centre, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Edward N
EN
Baker
Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand.
Michael G
MG
Baker
Department of Paediatrics, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Diana
D
Lennon
School of Biological Sciences and the Maurice Wilkins Centre, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Rod
R
Dunbar
Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia. Electronic address: jcarapetis@ichr.uwa.edu.au.
Jonathan
J
Carapetis
Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology and Maurice Wilkins Centre, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. Electronic address: jd.fraser@auckland.ac.nz.
John D
JD
Fraser
D000818:Animals; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006801:Humans; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D022541:Streptococcal Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013297:Streptococcus pyogenes / Q000472:pathogenicity
D022541:Streptococcal Vaccines
Epidemiology; M protein; Rheumatic fever; Streptococcus pyogenes; Vaccine