Could hospital-acquired infections be prevented with new vaccine?

Hospital-acquired infections have been on the rise in recent years, but a possible new vaccine developed by researchers could be given to patients upon arrival to help prevent antibiotic-resistant infections. 

The experimental vaccine candidate, developed by researchers at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, aims to fight superbug infections like methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, which can easily spread via surfaces. 

Rather than activating antibodies, the experimental vaccine works by activating immune cells known as macrophages, which kill off bacteria and neutralize any bodily invaders, according to the Oct. 4 USC news release.

“This is very different from developing new antibiotics,” Jun Yan, lead study author and doctoral candidate at the USC Keck School of Medicine stated in the release. “This is using our own immune system to fight against different superbugs, which is a different approach than everybody else.”

In lab tests, the experimental vaccine was effective after 24 hours for a duration of about 28 days.