This project is funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) through the AMR-Innovet programme aimed at providing innovative veterinary solutions for antimicrobial resistance. It is a collaboration between the University of Nottingham and the National Institute for Veterinary Research (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) in Vietnam.
Streptococcus suis is a zoonotic pathogen that causes high morbidity and mortality in the commercial and small-scale farming swine industry, with negative effects on economic sustainability, animal welfare, and food security. Despite S. suis being one of the most prevalent causes of bacterial infection and death in post-weaned piglets, there is currently no commercial vaccine available. One of the major barriers to vaccine commercialisation is the inability of experimental vaccines to protect against more than one bacterial serotype. Consequently, infection control in pigs relies heavily on the use of antibiotics, with antimicrobial resistance increasing in prevalence. S. suis can also be transmitted from pigs to humans and it is the leading cause of human bacterial meningitis in Vietnam.
The key outcome from this project will be the development of a prototype vaccine to protect piglets against Streptococcus suis, based on the targeting of virulence determinants that circumvent the porcine innate immune response. This will coincide with genomic analysis of the prevalent serotypes circulating in Vietnam and evaluation of antimicrobial resistance markers. The development of an efficacious vaccine will offset the economic impact of this disease, reduce the need for antimicrobials (thus reducing the risk of antimicrobial resistance), and lower the risk of zoonotic transmission of the infection during food production.
Posted on Wednesday 18th December 2019