A vaccine created by University of Georgia researchers to battle multiple life-threatening fungal infections is also effective against Candida auris in mice, according to a new study from researchers in the UGA Center for Vaccines and Immunology.
C. auris is a type of yeast that spreads easily particularly in health care settings and can lead to severe illness or even death. It's also often resistant to multiple antifungal medications. For these reasons, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has labeled C. auris an urgent public health threat.
The pan-fungal vaccine produces protective antibodies to ward off infection. The researchers also found treating infected mice with those antibodies improved morbidity and mortality rates.
There is a critical need for new strategies for anti-fungal treatment due to the alarming increase in the emergence of drug resistance in C. auris and other life-threatening fungal pathogens.
Karen Norris, College of Veterinary Medicine
"In addition to extending the vaccine's potential to reduce C. auris infections, the study suggests it can also be used as an antibody-mediated treatment," said Karen Norris, author of the study and a professor of immunology and translational biomedicine in the UGA Center for Vaccines and Immunology and College of Veterinary Medicine. Norris is also the CEO and founder of NXT Biologics, the company behind the vaccine. "There is a critical need for new strategies for anti-fungal treatment due to the alarming increase in the emergence of drug resistance in C. auris and other life-threatening fungal pathogens.
"These results support the use of an antibody-based treatment strategy for use in acute or life-threatening infections due to C. auris."
This is the latest application for the vaccine, which has proven effective against the three most common fungal pathogens in four preclinical animal models including nonhuman primates. These three fungi are responsible for more than 80% of fatal fungal infections.
The vaccine was also shown to protect against vaginal yeast infections in mouse models last year. The researchers hope to enter clinical trials for this application in the coming years.
If successful, the vaccine will be the first to prevent pathogenic fungal infections, which the World Health Organization considers one of the top threats to public health.
Fungal infections more resistant to treatment as vulnerable population increases
Fungal infections kill millions each year and cost billions in health care expenses. They also double hospitalization costs, double the length of hospital stays and double the risk of death in hospitalized patients, according to a previous UGA study.
There are no effective vaccines to protect against fungal infections. And the treatments are losing efficacy as fungi become increasingly resistant to medication.
While serious fungal infections are most commonly seen in immunocompromised patients, such as those receiving chemotherapy or living with HIV/AIDS, the population of vulnerable Americans is increasing.
A broadly protective or 'universal' fungal vaccine to protect against or treat infections is an approach that addresses the complex nature of fungal infections.
Karen Norris
Previous research from Norris, postdoctoral fellow Emily Rayens and the UGA College of Public Health's José Cordero in 2022 showed people with diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (or COPD), or co-infections such as COVID-19, tuberculosis or flu are all at higher risk of developing fungal infections.
"The concept of a broadly protective or 'universal' fungal vaccine to protect against or treat infections is an approach that addresses the complex nature of fungal infections, broad range of high-risk patient populations and the susceptibility of high-risk individuals to different fungal pathogens," Norris said. "The current study advances this approach to include protection against invasive C. auris infection."
Published in Vaccines, the study was co-authored by the UGA Center for Vaccines and Immunology's Kwadwo O. Oworae, Taylor Chapman, Daniel Wychrij, Lizabeth Buzzelli and Whitney Rabacal. Additional co-authors include Emily Rayens, of Kaiser Permanente Southern California.
