TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – Research at the University of Arizona Valley Fever Center of Excellence has taken a giant step in pursuing a Valley Fever vaccine for humans.
Researchers have secured $33 million from the National Institute of Health.
Valley Fever is a respiratory illness caused by a fungus. It thrives in places with little rainfall and high summer temperatures, like Arizona.
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“Arizona has two-thirds of all US infections, so we really should feel a certain responsibility to do something about that,” said Dr. John Galgiani, director of the Valley Fever Center of Excellence at the University of Arizona.
Valley Fever can be mild or even deadly, and yet there is no vaccine to prevent it.
“A small percentage of people have an illness that actually goes through the bloodstream to other parts of the body, outside of the lungs, and causes meningitis or bone infections and those patients need lots of medical care,” Galgiani said.
Due to this, Galgiani said a vaccine is needed.
One is currently being reviewed for dogs, and because of that work, Galgiani believes it could be developed for humans.
“I’ve been thinking about a human vaccine all along but taking this through the dog is really a very useful step to show proof of the concept, making the idea of taking it to humans that much more attractive,” Galgiani said.
Through their research, they have taken a gene out of the fungus that causes the disease. When they did this, they found the fungus was no longer able to cause the disease. That same fungus creates robust protection.
“Potentially means that maybe if you used it as a vaccine in humans, you wouldn’t have to do it again. It could be a once-in-a-lifetime kind of vaccine,” said Galgiani.
Galgiani added that a human vaccine would benefit everyone, including special groups.
“One would be people who work in the dirt, and that’s very hard to protect against because the respirators are very cumbersome, so having a vaccine to prevent infection would be really valuable,” Galgiani said.
This vaccine is still a few years off from being available in doctor’s offices.
The dog vaccine could be in veterinary offices within a year. If approved, it would be the world’s first vaccine against a fungal infection.
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Publish date : 2024-09-02 23:16:00
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