Bacterial Vaccines

Staff
Funding
Collaborators
Student Projects
Selected Recent Publications
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Maher Gandhi

Lab Head: Dr Michael Batzloff
Research

Infection with group A streptococcus (Streptococcus pyogenes, GAS) can result in a number of clinical manifestations ranging from the relatively benign and self-limiting pharyngitis to the invasive diseases such as necrotizing fasciitis. While these diseases have a huge economic burden for developing and developed nations, of more concern are the post-infectious diseases, rheumatic fever (RF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD). RF/RHD are autoimmune diseases in which T-cells and antibodies induced by GAS virulence factors such as the M-protein are thought to play a role in pathogenesis by cross-reacting with human tissues.

RF/RHD are a major problem in many developing nations and many Indigenous populations of developed nations. A recent review (Carapetis JR, Steer AC, Mulholland EK and Weber M. The global burden of group A streptococcal diseases. Lancet Infect Dis. 2005 Nov;5(11):685-94) of the global burden of streptococcal diseases estimated that there are currently approximately 15.6 million existing cases of RHD plus 460,000 new RHD cases and 349,000 RHD-related deaths each year. Moreover, it was also estimated that there are approximately 663,000 new cases of invasive GAS disease each year resulting in 163,000 deaths. The majority of these RHD and invasive GAS disease cases occur in less developed countries. The global burden of non-invasive GAS associated diseases such as pyoderma and pharyngitis was also estimated at 111 million current cases of pyoderma and 616 million new cases of pharyngitis each year.

Currently there is no vaccine available for GAS infection or its associated diseases. The focus of the Bacterial Vaccine Laboratory is the identification, characterization and evaluation of potential vaccine candidates for GAS and other bacterial pathogens.

Staff

Labhead:	Dr Michael Batzloff
Research Officer:	Manisha Pandey
Research Assistants:	Jon Hartas Joanne Cox Graham Magor
Students:	Meru Sheel

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Funding

National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia)
National Heart Foundation of Australia
National Institutes of Health (USA)
Merck (USA)

Collaborators

KS Sriprkash (QIMR)
Istvan Toth (University of Queensland)
Ifor Beacham (Griffith University)
Mark Walker (University of Wollongong)

Student Projects

Student projects are available within the laboratory. Please contact the laboratory head for additional information.

Key Publications

Abdel-Aal AB, Batzloff MR, Fujita Y, Barozzi N, Faria A, Simerska P, Moyle PM, Good MF, Toth I.Structure-activity relationship of a series of synthetic lipopeptide self-adjuvanting group a streptococcal vaccine candidates.J Med Chem. 2008 Jan 10;51(1):167-72. [pubmed abstract] Valery PC, Wenitong M, Clements V, Sheel M, McMillan D, Stirling J, Sriprakash KS, Batzloff M, Vohra R, McCarthy JS. Skin infections among Indigenous Australians in an urban setting in Far North Queensland. Epidemiol Infect. 2007 Oct 24;:1-6 [pubmed abstract] Steer AC, Jenney AJ, Oppedisano F, Batzloff MR, Hartas J, Passmore J, Russell FM, Kado JH, Carapetis JR. High burden of invasive beta-haemolytic streptococcal infections in Fiji. Epidemiol Infect. 2007 Jul 16;:1-7 [pubmed abstract] Shaila MS, Nayak R, Prakash SS, Georgousakis M, Brandt E, McMillan DJ, Batzloff MR, Pruksakorn S, Good MF, Sriprakash KS. Comparative in silico analysis of two vaccine candidates for group A streptococcus predicts that they both may have similar safety profiles. Vaccine. 2007 May 4;25(18):3567-73. [pubmed abstract] Batzloff MR, Pandey M, Olive C, Good MF. Advances in potential M-protein peptide-based vaccines for preventing rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease. Immunol Res. 2006;35(3):233-48. Review. [pubmed abstract] Batzloff MR, Hartas J, Zeng W, Jackson DC, Good MF. Intranasal vaccination with a lipopeptide containing a conformationally constrained conserved minimal peptide, a universal T cell epitope, and a self-adjuvanting lipid protects mice from group A streptococcus challenge and reduces throat colonization. J Infect Dis. 2006 Aug 1;194(3):325-30. [pubmed abstract] Sanderson-Smith M, Batzloff M, Sriprakash KS, Dowton M, Ranson M, Walker MJ. Divergence in the plasminogen-binding group a streptococcal M protein family: functional conservation of binding site and potential role for immune selection of variants. J Biol Chem. 2006 Feb 10;281(6):3217-26. [pubmed abstract] Batzloff MR, Yan H, Davies MR, Hartas J, Lowell GH, White G, Burt DS, Leanderson T, Good MF. Toward the development of an antidisease, transmission-blocking intranasal vaccine for group a streptococcus. J Infect Dis. 2005 Oct 15;192(8):1450-5. [pubmed abstract] McMillan DJ, Batzloff MR, Browning CL, Davies MR, Good MF, Sriprakash KS, Janulczyk R, Rasmussen M.Identification and assessment of new vaccine candidates for group A streptococcal infections. Vaccine. 2004 Jul 29;22(21-22):2783-90. [pubmed abstract] Batzloff MR, Sriprakash KS, Good MF.Vaccine development for group A streptococcus infections and associated disease. Curr Drug Targets. 2004 Jan;5(1):57-69. Review. [pubmed abstract] McKay FC, McArthur JD, Sanderson-Smith ML, Gardam S, Currie BJ, Sriprakash KS, Fagan PK, Towers RJ, Batzloff MR, Chhatwal GS, Ranson M, Walker MJ.Plasminogen binding by group A streptococcal isolates from a region of hyperendemicity for streptococcal skin infection and a high incidence of invasive infection. Infect Immun. 2004 Jan;72(1):364-70. [pubmed abstract] Batzloff MR, Hayman WA, Davies MR, Zeng M, Pruksakorn S, Brandt ER, Good MF.Protection against group A streptococcus by immunization with J8-diphtheria toxoid: contribution of J8- and diphtheria toxoid-specific antibodies to protection. J Infect Dis. 2003 May 15;187(10):1598-608. Epub 2003 Apr 30. [pubmed abstract] Olive C, Batzloff M, Horváth A, Clair T, Yarwood P, Toth I, Good MF.Potential of lipid core peptide technology as a novel self-adjuvanting vaccine delivery system for multiple different synthetic peptide immunogens. Infect Immun. 2003 May;71(5):2373-83. [pubmed abstract] Brandt ER, Sriprakash KS, Hobb RI, Hayman WA, Zeng W, Batzloff MR, Jackson DC, Good MF.New multi-determinant strategy for a group A streptococcal vaccine designed for the Australian Aboriginal population. Nat Med. 2000 Apr;6(4):455-9. [pubmed abstract]