Food Safety Magazine reports on University of Florida researchers who are closing in on a medicine that could prevent potentially lethal, antibiotic-resistant food poisoning … with tricks learned from raw sewage:
Published in Infection and Immunity, the rodent study tested a novel method of vaccine delivery, using Salmonella bacteria isolated from the Gainesville, Florida wastewater system. They found that the vaccine was successfully able to create antibodies against real-world Salmonella in mice, which would provide the animals with a greater defense against the pathogen.
The vaccine was developed using small extracellular vesicles (sEVs)—which are a vehicle of cell communication—as a delivery method for Salmonella proteins, facilitating their transfer between cells to encourage a lasting immune response. The vaccine was administered through the mice’s noses. Additionally, because the vaccine does not involve live bacteria, there is a lowered risk for complications.
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The study was led by the late Lisa Emerson, Ph.D., M.S.P.H., and Mariola Ferraro, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the UF/IFAS Microbiology and Cell Science department.
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You can read more of the UF/IFAS research here, in Infection and Immunity.