Journal Club - Meningitis vaccine to tackle drug resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae

According to recently published articles in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, the climbing numbers of gonorrhea cases across the globe are an increasing health concern and so is increasing drug resistance of the responsible bacterium which is paving way for novel meningitis vaccines.

The declining effectiveness of drug treatments for the bacteria responsible – Neisseria gonorrhoeae – and the lack of a licensed vaccine to prevent the infection have raised concerns about the possibility that gonorrhea may become more resistant to treatment, or even untreatable, in the future.

Meningitis vaccines have been recommended by the WHO as part of its roadmap to reduce the global burden of meningitis. This includes offering meningitis vaccines as part of routine childhood immunization strategies. Since meningitis vaccines have become more widely available, studies have shown they also offer some protection against gonorrhea, and that even partial protection could reduce cases of the infection considerably. However, questions have remained about the impacts and effectiveness of using meningitis vaccines against gonorrhea.

In 2016, the WHO set a target to reduce gonorrhea incidences by 90% by 2030, however, an effective vaccine has yet to be developed. The three studies suggest that the 4CMenB vaccine may offer significant protection to young adults, and to men who have sex with men who might be at higher risk of infection.