Defining the mechanisms underlying the development of adaptive immunity to Streptococcus pyogenes

人类病原体，化脓性链球菌，也称为A组链球菌（GAS），引起一系列疾病。轻度病例包括非侵入性咽喉和皮肤感染以及猩红热，而更严重的疾病涉及侵入性感染，这可能是致命的。在整个儿童时期反复轻度感染不同的GAS菌株被认为会诱导保护性免疫，导致成人非侵入性咽喉和皮肤感染的频率低于儿童。一种预防非侵入性疾病的疫苗将受到欢迎，因为由此导致的GAS社区传播的减少将降低侵入性疾病造成的发病率和死亡率。然而，尽管进行了多年的研究，仍然无法研制出有效的疫苗。由于缺乏对GAS保护性免疫发展机制的了解，部分阻碍了这些努力，使得难以确定疫苗接种靶向的最佳抗原。因此，本项目的目的是通过识别可能在不同队列中对抗GAS的免疫机制来阐明这些保护性免疫机制。

The human pathogen, Streptococcus pyogenes, also known as Group A Streptococcus (GAS), causes a spectrum of disease. Mild cases include non-invasive throat and skin infections and scarlet fever, whilst more severe disease involve invasive infections, which can be fatal. Repeated mild infections with different GAS strains throughout childhood are thought to induce protective immunity, resulting in a lower frequency of non-invasive throat and skin infections in adults compared to children. A vaccine to protect against non-invasive disease would be welcomed, since the resulting decrease in community transmission of GAS should decrease the morbidity and mortality caused by invasive disease. However, despite many years of research, the development of an effective vaccine has not yet been possible. Efforts have, in part, been hindered by a lack of understanding regarding the mechanisms underlying the development of protective immunity to GAS, making it difficult to determine the best antigen/s to target with vaccination. The aim of this project, therefore, is to contribute to the elucidation of these protective immune mechanisms by identifying immune mechanisms that may combat GAS in different cohorts.