Cases of gonorrhea have more than tripled in Oregon since 2007, according to the Oregon Health Authority. But as KLCC’s Brian Bull reports, Oregon State University researchers may be nearing the development of a vaccine.
Gonorrhea can cause infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease, and even blindness in babies born to infected mothers.
And the pathogen behind this sexually-transmitted disease is highly resistant to all classes of antibiotics, earning it the dubious title of “superbug”.
But OSU College of Pharmacy researcher Aleksandra Sikora and her team have identified a pair of proteins she says play critical functions in the cell membrane, making them excellent candidates for inclusion in a vaccine. She hopes their work will inspire efforts worldwide.
“It is very critical that now a serious, international, multidisciplinary commitment should be made that would involve coordination, cooperation, and financial investment to make gonorrhea vaccine a reality.”
The National Institutes of Health is supporting OSU’s research. The findings are in the latest Journal of Bacteriology.
Copyright 2017, KLCC.
