Staph vaccine to treat CFS??

[Hip]

It's a very bad news...I will send an email to the manufacture.

It might be an idea to use Google Translate to translate your email to the manufacturer into Russian (and then perhaps also include the original English / French version just beneath in the email).

This is what I did when I wrote to the Russian pharmacy www.likitoriya.com (and they replied to me in Russian).

 

[Biarritz13]

It might be an idea to use Google Translate to translate your email to the manufacturer into Russian (and then perhaps also include the original English / French version just beneath in the email).

This is what I did when I wrote to the Russian pharmacy www.likitoriya.com (and they Replied to me in Russian).

Yeah you are right

 

[M Paine]

Thanks to @Hip for being such a positive, motivated, and willing guinea pig.

Has anyone contacted any of the labs currently studying staph vaccines?

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24357631

Is the staph toxoid vaccine FDA approved for human use? I wonder if they are purifying their own vaccines or if they have a source?

 

[M Paine]

There is also a α-toxoid inhibitor in testing (CD-Cholesterol) which has been tested in the eye's of rabbits.

Something else to keep an eye on

http://www.google.com/patents/US8916543

 

[Hip]

@M Paine
There are currently no Staphylococcus toxoid vaccines for human use available in the West.

There are three university research teams working on new Staphylococcus vaccines (which contain the Staphylococcus alpha toxoid). One team is the university of Iowa, whose vaccine may be approved for use within a year.

 

[M Paine]

Hypothetically if the toxoid vaccine does help, its not due to the pathogenic effects of the purified toxoid, because it's been chemically rendered inert (with formaldehyde or similar), it's no longer a toxin at this point.

In lieu of some other mechanism, a simple explanation would be that the effects are due to the immune modulation effect of receiving this vaccine right?

We know that many people report feeling better during the early stages of fighting an infection (catching a cold, or receiving certain immunizations). The immune modulation (TLR-3 Agonist) drug Rintatolimod (previously ampligen) is shown to have positive effects. Isoprinosine is another one, and I'm sure there are others.

Just out of interest in regards to this microbe, there seem to be a few ideas floating around which potentially relate to this organism:

• Some people report positive results from infra-red lamps or sauna, sometimes directed at the sinus. It does seem interesting that Staphylococcus aureus is known to colonize the epithelium of the anterior nares of the nostrils.

• There are some unconventional treatments for the controversial dental condition called 'cavitation' involving oral surgery to remove necrotic bone and tissue. Some CFS patients suspected this as the source of their CFS like symptoms. Staphylococcus aureus is commonly implicated in osteomyelitis, and one suggestion is that osteomyelitis may facilitate CFS like symptoms due to bacterial colonization and bacterial toxins entering the bloodstream from a persistent infection (I'm not trying to advocate for this widely discredited theory, but I find it interesting to note all the same)

I'm not sure how this vaccine would effect Staphylococcus aureus carriage, apart from via immune-modulation effect, because the vaccine targets a virulence factor, not the actual microbe.

Am I missing something fundamental here? If the effect IS from the up-regulation of the immune system, perhaps other toxoid vaccine(s) which are currently FDA approved, or immune modulation drugs or therapy might be appropriate alternatives, and more readily available.

 

[Hip]

In lieu of some other mechanism, a simple explanation would be that the effects are due to the immune modulation effect of receiving this vaccine right?

There is a Russian study that shows Staphylococcus toxoid has immunomodulatory effects that corrects the immunosuppression caused by coxsackievirus B infection — a virus strongly linked to ME/CFS.

Coxsackievirus B uses a number of mechanisms (called "immune evasion") to thwart the immune system. Most notably, in cells infected with coxsackievirus B, the virus inhibits antigen presentation (making the cell invisible to CD8 immune surveillance). Refs: 1 2

perhaps other toxoid vaccine(s) which are currently FDA approved, or immune modulation drugs or therapy might be appropriate alternatives

This study shows that pore-forming bacterial toxins potently induce nitric oxide (which has powerful antiviral effects). Staphylococcus alpha toxin is a pore-forming toxin. Thus if increased NO secretion were one of the mechanisms by which Staphylococcus alpha toxoid improves ME/CFS, then one might speculate that other pore-forming bacterial toxoids might offer similar benefits.

But since toxoids are weakened forms of bacterial toxins, they may not work as well as NO inducers.

This study indicates that alpha toxin is a strong IL-17 inducer.

 

[M Paine]

Hypothetically if the toxoid vaccine does help, its not due to the pathogenic effects of the purified toxoid, because it's been chemically rendered inert (with formaldehyde or similar), it's no longer a toxin at this point.

I see now that I was incorrect in my above post, here's an explanation of the molecular chemistry of fixation when using formaldehyde on proteins such as α-toxin...

"the main reaction occurs with the epsilon-amino group of lysines. Once modified cross-linking of one modified lysine to another lysine occurs (to form a so-called methylene bridge). I believe additional reactions can also take place but less efficiently and more slowly. Because lysines account on average for about 5% of the total amino acids in proteins, most proteins are sensitive to formaldehyde"

From: How does formaldehyde convert bacterial toxins into toxoids(inactive toxoids) and what type of reaction occurs?

So it's possible that the Toxoid is having some sort of effect.

Have you read this? -> Staphylococcus aureus α-toxin. 2. Reduction of epidermal growth factor receptor affinity in PC12 cells

Am I reading this correctly that α-toxin is inhibiting cell receptor binding? I wonder if that is due to the pore forming action, or if α-toxin also has binding affinity to cellular receptors.

 

[healthyalmonds]

I'm not sure how this vaccine would effect Staphylococcus aureus carriage, apart from via immune-modulation effect, because the vaccine targets a virulence factor, not the actual microbe.

Am I missing something fundamental here? If the effect IS from the up-regulation of the immune system, perhaps other toxoid vaccine(s) which are currently FDA approved, or immune modulation drugs or therapy might be appropriate alternatives, and more readily available.

Using this publication as a reference http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12413434, the Staphylococcus toxoid vaccine they used was Staphypan Berna. Staphypan is the vaccine and Berna is manufacturer. Staphypan is a Staphylococcus aureus cell lysate http://drugs-about.com/drugs-s/staphypan.html that contains a variety of S. aureus antigens.

Like you mentioned, Staphypan wouldn't directly impact Staph carriage. The vaccine provides Staph antigens so the person can mount a better immune response against that bacteria.

If the body becomes better able to fight Staph, and subsequently symptoms of CFS improve, that may suggest that S. aureus carriage is playing a role in the development of symptoms of CFS/fibromyalgia.

 

[Biarritz13]

@Jonathan Edwards Can we have your opinion Dr. ?

 

[M Paine]

"In 2002, Zachrisson et al, reported a study that found a positive response to vaccination with Staphypan Berna in a small number of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia 201. The authors determined that the vaccine contained high levels of lipase, alphatoxin, enterotoxin B, toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 [TSST-1] and cell wall antigens.

There was a significant improvement in the symptom scores of 14 vaccine recipients when compared to 14 participants who received placebo. A positive response to vaccine correlated with neutralisation of alphatoxin function by serum collected prior to vaccination. This result suggested that participants who were able to produce effective immune responses to alphatoxin derived benefit from immunologic boosting.

It is not known whether the response was related to an anti-SA effect or a non-specific response to vaccination. Furthermore, the results have not yet been confirmed in larger studies."

Staphylococcus aureus population genetics and immune responses: correlation with ethnic variation in the incidence of bacteraemia
Stephen Robert Ritchie

 

[M Paine]

"A positive response to vaccine correlated with neutralisation of alphatoxin function by serum collected prior to vaccination. This result suggested that participants who were able to produce effective immune responses to alphatoxin derived benefit from immunologic boosting."

It took me a while to understand what they meant here, but they are saying that of the test subjects who responded to vaccine, they observed that there was evidence that they could already neutralize α-toxin via serum. This implies that they observed the opposite in nonresponders. This seems like a very interesting correlation.

 

[Hip]

Great article by Cort Johnson about the Staphylococcus toxoid vaccine and the other ME/CFS research of Prof Carl-Gerhard Gottfries here:

Carl-Gerhard Gottfries: A Swedish Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Story

Several other videos by Prof Gottfries found here.

 

[Hip]

@Theodore, have you written to the Russian manufacturer of the Staphylococcus toxoid vaccine, asking whether they are still making it? If not, don't worry, as I can write to the manufacturer myself.

 

[Biarritz13]

@Theodore, have you written to the Russian manufacturer of the Staphylococcus toxoid vaccine, asking whether they are still making it? If not, don't worry, as I can write to the manufacturer myself.

I asked them where I could buy it, they gave me the name of a russian website. Andey sent them an email and unfortunately they doesn't send outside Russia...

 

[Hip]

I asked them where I could buy it, they gave me the name of a russian website. Andey sent them an email and unfortunately they doesn't send outside Russia...

Well that seems to suggest that the Russian Staphylococcus vaccine is still being made by the manufacturer Medgamal.

This would seem to contradict what the Russian online pharmacy www.likitoriya.com said to me about the vaccine no longer being available at their suppliers (see this earlier post).

So it seems we should still be able to obtain this vaccine if we find a pharmacy that sells it.

 

[Biarritz13]

Well that seems to suggest that the Russian Staphylococcus vaccine is still being made by the manufacturer Medgamal.

This would seem to contradict what the Russian online pharmacy www.likitoriya.com said to me about the vaccine no longer being available at their suppliers (see this earlier post).

So it seems we should still be able to obtain this vaccine if we find a pharmacy that sells it.

The pharmacy near to Andey sells it, as he said, the vaccine is in their fridge so the issue now is to find a way to send it refrigerated...

 

[healthyalmonds]

"In 2002, Zachrisson et al, reported a study that found a positive response to vaccination with Staphypan Berna in a small number of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia 201. The authors determined that the vaccine contained high levels of lipase, alphatoxin, enterotoxin B, toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 [TSST-1] and cell wall antigens.

There was a significant improvement in the symptom scores of 14 vaccine recipients when compared to 14 participants who received placebo. A positive response to vaccine correlated with neutralisation of alphatoxin function by serum collected prior to vaccination. This result suggested that participants who were able to produce effective immune responses to alphatoxin derived benefit from immunologic boosting.

It is not known whether the response was related to an anti-SA effect or a non-specific response to vaccination. Furthermore, the results have not yet been confirmed in larger studies."

Staphylococcus aureus population genetics and immune responses: correlation with ethnic variation in the incidence of bacteraemia
Stephen Robert Ritchie

That's really interesting. Alphatoxin appears to be an important S. aureus virulence factor http://jem.rupress.org/content/205/2/287.long.

This evidence may help narrow down what S. aureus is producing that leads to host CFS/fibromyalgia symptoms.

 

[Hip]

This post about the possible mechanism of the Staphylococcus vaccine may be of interest.

 

[M Paine]

"Staphypan Berna vaccine consists of undefined extracts from whole killed strains of SA and S. epidermidis, together with staphylococcal alphatoxin, a pore-forming protein that is expressed during post-exponential growth and is able to lyse red blood cells, macrophages and lymphocytes" - From the same doctorate thesis I quoted earlier

It raises a bit of an eyebrow to see lymphocytes mentioned, however you would think if the effect was a product of the destruction of b-lymphocytes, that the effect would be similar to Rituximab, and be delayed by 6-months, rather than the reported quick response to Staphypan.