Viruses of bronchiolitis and pneumonia, which cause the main respiratory infections in infants and young children, have always been targeted by scientists and researchers, who they have been trying to find a vaccine to stop them for some time.
Until then, the advances had not yielded definitive results but a latest study carried out by the National Center for Microbiology of the Carlos III Health Institute, in collaboration with the Geisel Medical School of the United States, could indicate that science is finally very Close to developing these vaccines.
Two different viruses
The new research, published in "Nature Communications", has found differences between respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and metaneumovirus (MNV), two very similar viruses both clinically and biologically Causes of bronchiolitis and pneumonia, respectively.
Researchers have been able to demonstrate that the protection against infections of both viruses is mainly due to antibodies that bind to one of the proteins in the virus called "F fusion protein", whose mission is to facilitate the entry of these viruses into cells.
AdvertisingIn this entry process, the F fusion protein changes its form of prefusion (before entry into the cell) to post-fusion (after entry). But the binding of neutralizing antibodies and this protein prevents those changes from occurring and therefore They prevent the entry of the virus and infection.
5 years ago it was shown that neutralizing antibodies that protect against RSV infections recognize mainly the prefusion form of that protein, which led companies to focus its efforts on developing a vaccine against the RSV virus.
As Armando explained in this article a few months ago, the so-called "VRS European Consortium" has been looking for two vaccines that reduce the number of serious respiratory infections in children. One of these vaccines would be to administer to babies, and the other to be administered to pregnant women. and that it would work the same as the pertussis vaccine: creating antibodies in women that will be passed on to babies so that they are born with a certain immunity against the RSV virus.
But now, researchers have seen that the structure of the protein F of the MNV virus in its prefusion form, and of the VRS virus are not exactly the same, so the targets to which the antibodies that neutralize the viruses should be directed, are different in one and another case.
According to José Antonio Melero, professor at the National Center for Microbiology,
"These results open new approaches for the development of a vaccine against methanevirus (MNV), which must be different from those currently being explored against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)""The good news is that the F-protein sites to which antibodies that neutralize metaneumovirus infectivity (MNV) bind are more stable than those of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and, therefore, can be expected to be more easy to design an effective vaccine against metaneumovirus that against respiratory syncytial virus "
Two frequent respiratory diseases
The VRS virus causes between 60 and 80% of severe respiratory infections in babies, and is also the main cause of bronchiolitis, a disease that in most cases requires hospitalization.
On the other hand, pneumonia caused by the MNV virus is the leading cause of death for children under five years of age worldwide, with children in countries with fewer resources suffering the most severe consequences.
According to the Infosalus health portal, the number of people affected annually by the RSV virus (bronchiolitis) is 34 million, and between five and eight million people affected by the MNV virus (pneumonia).
But these viruses are not only serious in infants and young children, since also the elderly, adults or immunocompromised children can become seriously ill if they get these diseases.
With the arrival of cold, respiratory diseases increase, but for the moment, and until the coveted vaccines develop, the only thing we can try is to prevent its contagion by maintaining good hygiene habits, frequently ventilating our home and preventing children from sharing pacifiers, teats or other utensils. In addition, it is important not to expose the newborn or the baby to smoke environments, and ensure that it is not near people who cough or have a cold.
Via Infosalus
In Babies and More Bronchiolitis, Pneumonia, They investigate a new vaccine for pregnant women that reduces the risk of bronchiolitis in the baby
