Defining immunogenic antigens in patients with Escherichia Coli and klebsiella pneumoniae bacteraemia in Vietnam and the UK

Summary 

Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae are among the top three pathogens responsible for global deaths related to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In Vietnam, a low and middle-income country (LMIC) with high rates of AMR, these two pathogens are leading causes of bloodstream infections (BSIs), with mortality rates exceeding 35%. Developing vaccines against E. coli and K. pneumoniae is challenging due to the presence of many disease-causing bacterial components (virulence factors) to target, significant variability between bacterial strains (serotypes), and the potential impact on the balance of healthy bacteria people carry in their gut (commensal strains). There are several vaccine candidates currently in clinical trials, and pre-clinical studies have highlighted virulence factors of interest, such as adhesins and iron acquisition proteins. We will use clinical cohorts of patients with BSIs and build on our experience in vaccine target discovery for other pathogens to define target proteins for E. coli and K. pneumoniae for development into vaccine candidates by our collaborating team. We will assess the immune responses (T-cell and antibodies) in patients with BSIs in Vietnam and the UK compared to responses in healthy individuals.