One in every two women will, at least once in their life, suffer from a urinary infection—a far from pleasant experience. And though it can be successfully treated with antibiotics, most would prefer to avoid it altogether. Now there seems to be a promising vaccine that may do just that.
It targets Escherichia coli, the bacteria responsible for the majority of these infections. In fact, six candidate vaccines have been developed by a team at the University of Michigan. Administered nasally to mice, three of these vaccines produced good results. Antibodies specific to the infection were secreted, and the quantity of bacteria present in the bladder was heavily reduced.
If this effectiveness is confirmed, it still means waiting a few years for mass production of the vaccine. The team running the project is soliciting clinical research partners, and once it has found them, they will be able to start trials on humans.
