Meningitis is among the deadliest brain disease that could affect the nervous system. There are treatments available for this condition, but prevention is always better than cure. Scientists from the University of Southampton, led by Professor Robert Read and Dr. Jay Laver, have re-engineered a bacteria administered via nose drops to provide a strong immune response against a severe type of meningitis.
The study, titled "A recombinant commensal bacteria elicits heterologous antigen-specific immune responses during pharyngeal carriage," published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, describes how researchers inserted a gene into the mostly harmless bacteria Neisseria lactamica that enables it to remain in the nose and induce immunity against the Neisseria meningitidis.
In other words, this study shows that it is possible to protect people from severe disease using nose drops that contain genetically modified friendly bacteria, said Dr. Robert C. Read, one of the study's co-authors.
Friendly Bacteria that Lives in People's Noses
Meningitis mostly affects infants, young children, and the elderly. But it can also occur in people of all age groups. A common type of this disease is Meningococcal meningitis, which is a bacterial form of the disease that could lead to death in just four hours after symptoms start to appear.
The Neisseria meningitidis bacteria are found in 10% of adults in the back of their nose and throat without causing any signs or symptoms. But for some, this bacteria could infect the bloodstream and lead to life-threatening conditions, such as meningitis and blood poisoning.
According to EurekAlert!, the friendly bacteria Neisseria lactamica also lives in some people's noses naturally. They protect the person from the severe type of meningitis by denying a foothold to its close cousin, the Neisseria meningitidis bacteria.
Researchers found this ability and aimed at using this natural phenomenon to knock out the deadly bacteria in many people. Researchers showed that nasal drops of the genetically modified friendly bacteria could prevent the Neisseria meningitidis from settling in 60% of patients.
Friendly Bacteria Induces Strong Immune Response
Researchers injected a gene on the Neisseria lactamica that enables a sticky protein to hold on to the cells in the nasal walls, International Business Times reported.
This gene is responsible for the mechanism that induced the meningococcal antigen Neisseria Adhesin A (NadA). The team then introduced this genetically modified bacteria into the noses of the participants through nasal drops.
They found that along with promoting a stronger immune response, the genetically modified bacteria also stayed in the nose for longer durations. It was present for 28 days, and 86% of the participants carried it for 90 days. More so, the team did not record any side effects in the participants.
"It is theoretically possible to express any antigen in our bacteria, which means we can potentially adapt them to combat a multitude of infections that enter the body through the upper respiratory tract. In addition to the delivery of vaccine antigens, advances in synthetic biology mean we might also use genetically modified bacteria to manufacture and deliver therapeutics molecules in the near future," Dr. Jay Laver, the co-lead author of the study, said in the news release of the university.
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