STAPHYLOCOCCAL VACCINES - A REALISTIC DREAM

Staphylococcus aureus, especially multidrug resistant strains, continu es to be a leading cause of serious nosocomial infections. In spite of the debate among investigators in the field, the discovery of serolog ically distinct capsular polysaccharides on the surface of clinical is olates has renewed the prospects for development of vaccines and passi ve protective immunity against S. aureus infections. Capsular polysacc haride conjugate vaccines have now been produced and proven to be safe and immunogenic in both healthy and in a significant percentage of im munocompromised patients. Antibodies generated in humans against these vaccines have been shown to mediate type-specific opsonophagocytosis, and to protect animals against lethal challenge with the appropriate S. aureus isolate.