Novel vaccine design as an alternative to antimicrobial use for preventing and controlling the swine and zoonotic agent Streptococcus suis

Streptococcus suis (S. suis) causes significant economic losses to the swine industry and raises concerns about animal welfare. This organism is also an emerging zoonotic pathogen (able to leap from animal to human) and is a niche of antimicrobial resistance genes of public health concern, notably in East Asian countries such as Thailand. In the absence of commercial vaccines, the incidence of disease in pigs is controlled by extensive and routine use of antimicrobials as control/preventive measures.

Recent research has established a proof-of-concept vaccine that protects pigs against S. suis serotype 2, the most common type worldwide. Unfortunately, standard production methods are complex, resulting in high-cost vaccines. Recent advances in chemical synthesis and formulation design have spawned a new generation of carbohydrate-based vaccines that overcome many of the limitations associated with traditional vaccines. The major outcome of this project is the development of an innovative vaccine strategy to produce a new-generation, low-cost vaccine to reduce both preventive and curative use of antimicrobials in low- and middle-income countries.

This project is funded under InnoVet-AMR 2.0, a four-year partnership between IDRC and the United Kingdom’s Department of Health and Social Care. The initiative is aimed at reducing the emerging risk that antimicrobial resistance in animals poses to global health and food security.