Scientists have developed a first-of-its-kind vaccine to prevent severe symptoms from hard-to-treat fungal infections.
In a study on animals, the shot – made by researchers from the University of Georgia (UGA) – worked against the three most common families of fungi that cause disease in people.
The vaccine is known as ‘pan-fungal’ because it targets an enzyme shared by all three strains, which collectively cause around 3,500 deaths and 50,000 hospitalizations annually in the US.
Increased attention has been placed on fungal infections because of the hit HBO show ‘The Last of Us‘, which sees infected people transform into zombies.
While that is far from reality, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows fungal infections already caused 7,000 deaths in the US – and 1.5million worldwide, in 2021.
The World Health Organization warns that fungal infections are becoming a ‘major threat‘ to public health and more common worldwide as the changing climate makes environments more suitable for them.
Fungal infections were responsible for more than 75,000 hospitalizations in the US in 2021. Among those, Candida caused the most, leading to the admission of more than 26,000 people. The next to most common were also targeted by the Georgia vaccine, Aspergillosis, responsible for nearly 15,000, and Pneumocytis, which caused just over 10,000
Candida caused 1,769 deaths in 2021, the most of any fungal infection in the US. Aspergillosis caused 1,236 deaths, while Pneumocytis was responsible for 449
The vaccine, called NXT-2, works by providing the body with antibodies that can fight off infections caused by three species of fungus: Aspergillus, Candida and Pneumocystis.
The shot was 100 percent effective at preventing serious infection in monkeys and mice that were immune suppressed and exposed to a fatal amount of fungi.
Researchers say that plans for a human trial are now underway.
‘There’s a significant unmet clinical need for this kind of prevention and also treatment, particularly among immunocompromised individuals,’ Dr Karen Norris, a veterinary medicine professor at UGA and the chief scientist behind the vaccine.
‘The patient population at risk for invasive fungal infections has increased significantly over the last several years.’
Fungal infections are caused when a person either breathes in or comes in contact with spores.
Generally, healthy people are good at fighting off fungal infections. But those who have underlying conditions like HIV, cancer or diabetes, or have a weakened immune system are at higher risk of serious disease and death.
The NXT-2 shot was effective at preventing severe infection in all of the monkeys and rats it was tested on. It also did not cause any severe adverse events (file photo)
Recently, the number of deadly fungal infections has started to rise amid growing numbers of immune-suppressed individuals and a warmer and wetter climate.
In 2021, a black fungus killed thousands of people in India. Some 85 percent of them were also Covid patients. And in the US the fungal infection ‘Valley Fever’ that kills one in a hundred people it infects is also spreading.
Experts fear Covid has played a role in this increase, with both infections striking some patients around the same time and taking advantage of a weakened immune system.
Candida, a family of infections that includes the common C. Auris, has had annual US deaths rose from 1,010 in 2018 to 1,769 in 2021.
Deaths caused by the Aspergillus family of fungi jumped from 795 in 2018 to 1,236 in 2021, while pneumocystis deaths increased from 371 to 449.
Scientists are hoping that their discovery will allow them to curb these figures significantly.
‘This is an area that has been underdeveloped on the research front for a long time,’ Dr Norris said.
‘These are very large populations of people who are at risk of invasive fungal infections, and although there has been considerable efforts to develop vaccines, none are yet approved.’
In research published in PNAS Nexus, researchers gathered data from 103 mice and 25 monkeys.
They tested four different vaccine candidates against Aspergillus, Candida and Pneumocystis.
In 20 of the mice and two monkeys, they vaccinated them but did not expose them to fungus – to determine the safety of the vaccines.
The others were vaccinated and had their immune system suppressed by drugs before being exposed to a fatal fungus dose.
This is done to simulate how effective the vaccine would be in an immunocompromised person who is most at risk of severe illness.
The NXT-2 shot was the only shot to effectively prevent severe infection against all three fungi in every animal it was tested against.
The shot also did not show any significant adverse side effects to the 12 animals that received it and were not exposed to the deadly disease.
‘The Last of Us’ follows smuggler Joel (right) as he escorts teenager Ellie (left) through Boston, Massachusetts, while a fungus spreads across the world. Its recent popularity has heightened fears about fungal infections
Fungal infections occur when a person inhales its spores. While the body will usually be able to eject it before it causes harm, people who are immunocompromised are at risk of being infected (file photo)
While a situation like that of ‘The Last of Us’ – where fungus-infected zombies overrun the world – is hopefully impossible, experts are warning about the dangers of these fungi.
The CDC described C Auris as a ‘serious global health threat’ because it is drug-resistant, hard to identify and can spread in ultra-clean hospital environments.
Last week, US health experts also warned about ‘Valley Fever’, caused by the fungi Coccidioidomycosis.
Cases of the fungal infection have risen 20-fold since 2000. It earned its nickname because of its prevalence in Arizona and California, where it thrives in the warm, dry, environment.
Climate change has increased temperatures across the country, though, and the fungal infection is now increasingly being detected in New Mexico, Nevada and Utah.
While Coccidioidomycosis was not tested against the NXT-2 vaccine, its spread has experts focusing more on developing treatments for these diseases.
Symptoms of fungal infections often include trouble breathing, fatigue, headaches, night sweats and muscle aches, among others.
