Iyer Vinayak, Sagar Vivek, Toor Devinder, Lyngdoh Valarie, Nongrum Gloria, Kapoor Manish, Chakraborti Anuradha
Department of Experimental Medicine and Biotechnology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, IND.
Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, IND.
Cureus. 2022 Dec 30;14(12):e33146. doi: 10.7759/cureus.33146. eCollection 2022 Dec.
Group A streptococci (GAS) are gram-positive, cocci-shaped bacteria that cause a wide variety of infections and are a cause of significant health burden, particularly in lower- and middle-income nations. The GAS genome contains a number of virulence factors such as the M-protein, hyaluronic acid, C5a peptidase, etc. Despite its significant health burden across the globe, a proper vaccine against GAS infections is not yet available. Various candidates for an effective GAS vaccine are currently being researched. These are based on various parts of the streptococcal genome. These include candidates based on the N-terminal region of the M protein, the conserved C-terminal region of the M protein, and other parts of the streptococcal genome. The development of a vaccine against GAS infections is hampered by certain challenges, such as extensive genetic heterogeneity and high protein sequence variation. This review paper sheds light on the various virulence factors of GAS, their epidemiology, the different vaccine candidates currently being researched, and the challenges associated with M-protein and non-M-protein-based vaccines. This review also sheds light on the current scenario regarding the status of vaccine development against GAS-related infections.
A群链球菌(GAS)是革兰氏阳性球菌,可引发多种感染,是重大的健康负担根源,在低收入和中等收入国家尤为如此。GAS基因组包含多种毒力因子,如M蛋白、透明质酸、C5a肽酶等。尽管其在全球造成了重大健康负担,但目前尚无针对GAS感染的合适疫苗。目前正在研究多种有效的GAS疫苗候选物。这些候选物基于链球菌基因组的不同部分。其中包括基于M蛋白N端区域、M蛋白保守C端区域以及链球菌基因组其他部分的候选物。针对GAS感染的疫苗研发受到某些挑战的阻碍,如广泛的基因异质性和高蛋白序列变异。这篇综述文章阐述了GAS的各种毒力因子、其流行病学、当前正在研究的不同疫苗候选物以及与基于M蛋白和非M蛋白的疫苗相关的挑战。本综述还揭示了目前针对GAS相关感染的疫苗研发状况。