About this Research Topic
Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Mp) is one of the most prevalent bacterial pathogens residing in the upper and lower respiratory tract, responsible for laryngitis, pharyngitis, tracheobronchitis and community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children and adults. Besides, Mp infection may play a role in the pathogenesis of chronic asthma or asthma exacerbation, or trigger extrapulmonary complications including Guillain-Barré syndrome and encephalitis. As a self-replicating microorganism lacking peptidoglycan layer, macrolide antibiotics instead of β-lactams are recommended for the treatment of Mp infections in children. Unfortunately, macrolide-resistant Mp strains have emerged quickly in recent years and alternative therapeutic strategies are urgently needed.
Vaccines have been considered since the discovery of Mp. Though inactivated vaccines showed certain protective effects in clinical trials, reinfection of Mp is a common phenomenon after natural infection. Besides, vaccine-enhanced disease has been certified in animal experiments after vaccination with inactivated or live attenuated strains, which may be attributed to lipid moieties of Mp lipid-associated membrane proteins (LAMP). Subunit vaccines using proteins responsible for cytadherence that locates at the tip organelle (e.g. P1, P30, etc.), or community-acquired respiratory distress syndrome toxin (CARDS toxin) as antigens showed promise in preclinical animal experiments, but none of them have progressed into clinical trials until now. Recent discovery of P40/P90 instead of P1 in the “Nap” complex of Mp as the binding site for sialic acid implied the importance of further basic research for the development of effective Mp vaccines.
Recently, vaccines based on viral vectors, subunit vaccines based on specific adjuvants other than alum, subunit vaccines based on prefusion conformation design, and vaccines based on mRNA technology platforms have shown good application prospects for tricky pathogens. We think these technologies may also be alternative options for the development of successful Mp vaccines, whose efficacy may not only rely on neutralizing IgG, but also mucosal immunity, or cellular immunity. Contributions in the form of original research or reviews belonging but not limited to the following fields are welcome in this Research Topic:
(1) basic research on Mp invasion and immunopathology.
(2) antigen development or design for Mp vaccines.
(3) adjuvant effects to elevate vaccine efficacy and to lower the risk of immunopathology.
(4) Strategies to avoid antibody decline and prolong vaccine efficacy.
Through this Research Topic, we hope more readers will pay attention to the research of Mp, and then jointly promote the clinical application of effective Mp vaccines.
Vaccines have been considered since the discovery of Mp. Though inactivated vaccines showed certain protective effects in clinical trials, reinfection of Mp is a common phenomenon after natural infection. Besides, vaccine-enhanced disease has been certified in animal experiments after vaccination with inactivated or live attenuated strains, which may be attributed to lipid moieties of Mp lipid-associated membrane proteins (LAMP). Subunit vaccines using proteins responsible for cytadherence that locates at the tip organelle (e.g. P1, P30, etc.), or community-acquired respiratory distress syndrome toxin (CARDS toxin) as antigens showed promise in preclinical animal experiments, but none of them have progressed into clinical trials until now. Recent discovery of P40/P90 instead of P1 in the “Nap” complex of Mp as the binding site for sialic acid implied the importance of further basic research for the development of effective Mp vaccines.
Recently, vaccines based on viral vectors, subunit vaccines based on specific adjuvants other than alum, subunit vaccines based on prefusion conformation design, and vaccines based on mRNA technology platforms have shown good application prospects for tricky pathogens. We think these technologies may also be alternative options for the development of successful Mp vaccines, whose efficacy may not only rely on neutralizing IgG, but also mucosal immunity, or cellular immunity. Contributions in the form of original research or reviews belonging but not limited to the following fields are welcome in this Research Topic:
(1) basic research on Mp invasion and immunopathology.
(2) antigen development or design for Mp vaccines.
(3) adjuvant effects to elevate vaccine efficacy and to lower the risk of immunopathology.
(4) Strategies to avoid antibody decline and prolong vaccine efficacy.
Through this Research Topic, we hope more readers will pay attention to the research of Mp, and then jointly promote the clinical application of effective Mp vaccines.
Keywords: Mycoplasma pneumoniae, immunopathology, vaccine antigen, vaccine efficacy, vaccine-enhanced disease
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
