“An early-stage clinical trial yielded promising results for a chlamydia vaccine,” reports NBC News:
There is currently no vaccine to protect against the sexually transmitted infection, which is the most common bacterial STI in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2022, there were more than 1.6 million cases.
Chlamydia remains one of the most common causes of infertility in women, said Dr. Jay Varma, professor of population health sciences at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. Untreated, the infection — which usually doesn’t cause symptoms in women — can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, which can lead to scar tissue that makes it harder to get pregnant.
“This is desperately needed,” said David Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors. “We have the highest STI rates in America since the 1950s and possibly beyond.”
The bacteria can also cause an eye infection that’s responsible for vision loss in 1.9 million people worldwide.
The phase 1 clinical trial, led by researchers in the United Kingdom and Denmark, found that the experimental vaccine was safe and induced an immune response. The study took place from 2020 through 2022 and participants were equally split between healthy men and women with an average age of 26.
In other news, a spray vaccine stops urinary tract infections for up to 9 years.
Scientists recently discovered a new antibiotic that can kill drug-resistant bacteria.
A virus is being used to cure deafness in new gene therapy. Researchers also discovered that a plant virus could be used to save crops from root-eating pests.
Recently, a treatment was discovered for sleeping sickness, a disease that kills 50,000 to 500,000 people per year.
Scientists have developed a vaccine that provides 80% protection against dengue fever.
