Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals
The Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals department is responsible for targeting vaccine-preventable diseases, guiding immunization research and establishing immunization policy.
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Introduction
Gonorrhoea is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. An estimated 82.4 million new cases of Gonorrhoea occurred worldwide in 2020(1) . Untreated, or inadequately treated, gonorrhoea can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), infertility, adverse pregnancy outcomes, elevated risk for HIV acquisition and transmission, and ongoing transmission of N. gonorrhoeae to sexual partners and neonates. Increased emergence of N. gonorrhoeae antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has heightened the possibility of future untreatable infections, and because of this and the threat to sexual and reproductive health (SRH), the WHO Global Health Sector Strategy on STIs has set targets for reducing gonorrhoea incidence by 90% by 2030.
WHO’s strategy highlights the crucial need for new innovations to fight this STI, including effective vaccines. Interest in gonococcal vaccine development has been reinvigorated not only by an increasing global emphasis on use of vaccines in fighting AMR, but also by observational studies indicating that vaccines developed for serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis might offer some protection against gonorrhoea, providing promise that gonococcal vaccines are biologically feasible. The research priorities needed to advance the development of Gonococcal vaccines are described in the Global STI Vaccine Roadmap. and the Global action plan to control the spread and impact of antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae.Preferred Product Characteristics
IVB’s Product and Delivery Research unit is collaborating with WHO’s Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research to develop Preferred Product Characteristics (PPCs) for Gonococcal vaccines, with the strategic goal to prevent adverse sexual and reproductive health outcomes related to gonococcal infection and to reduce the impact of gonococcal AMR. The PPCs are being finalised and will be posted on this website in 2021.
Drug resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae has been identified as a pathogen for which there is a high priority to develop antimicrobials(3). WHO is evaluating the role of vaccines against Neisseria gonorrhoeae on antibiotic use, health and economic burden due to an infection with a resistant pathogen, and impact on equity and social justice.
Roadmap
Recent data suggest vaccines for gonorrhoea are biologically feasible; in particular, epidemiological evidence shows that vaccines against a closely related pathogen, serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis outer membrane vesicle (OMV) vaccines, may reduce gonorrhoea incidence. Vaccine candidates using several approaches are currently in preclinical development, including meningococcal and gonococcal OMV vaccines, a lipooligosaccharide epitope and purified protein subunit vaccines. The Global STI Vaccine Roadmap provides action steps to build on this technical momentum and advance gonococcal vaccine development (4).WHO meetings
External links and publications
References:
1) Web Annex 1. Key data at a glance. In: Global progress report on HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections, 2021. Accountability for the global health sector strategies 2016–2021: actions for impact. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2021. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
3) Tacconelli E, Carrara E, Savoldi A, Harbarth S, Mendelson M, Monnet DL, Pulcini C, Kahlmeter G, Kluytmans J, Carmeli Y, Ouellette M, Outterson K, Patel J, Cavaleri M, Cox EM, Houchens CR, Grayson ML, Hansen P, Singh N, Theuretzbacher U, Magrini N; WHO Pathogens Priority List Working Group. Discovery, research, and development of new antibiotics: the WHO priority list of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and tuberculosis. Lancet Infect Dis. 2018 Mar;18(3):318-327. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(17)30753-3. Epub 2017 Dec 21. PMID: 29276051.
Related links:
WHO Global Sexually Transmitted Infections Programme
Global HIV, Hepatitis and STIs Programmes – Global Health Sector Strategies on HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections for 2016-2021.Gottlieb SL, Deal CD, Giersing B, Rees H, Bolan G, Johnston C, Timms P, Gray-Owen SD, Jerse AE, Cameron CE, Moorthy VS, Kiarie J, Broutet N. The global roadmap for advancing development of vaccines against sexually transmitted infections: Update and next steps. Vaccine. 2016 Jun 3;34(26):2939-2947. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2016.03.111. Epub 2016 Apr 19. PMID: 27105564; PMCID: PMC6759054.
Vaccine Pipeline
Updated 30th April 2022
