BioCentury
ARTICLE | Targets & Mechanisms

MIDAS touch vaccine

October 9, 2014 7:00 AM UTC

A vaccine against a bacterial protein's MIDAS-containing domain could provide a solution to some of the catheter-associated urinary tract infections that often plague hospitalized patients, according to a mouse study from the Washington University in St. Louis.1 But the vaccine's success in the clinic will likely depend on how well conserved the MIDAS motif is among bacterial strains and species.

The team showed that the MIDAS (metal ion-dependent adhesion site) domain in the endocarditis and biofilm-associated pilus (ebpA) protein of Enterococcus faecalis acts as an anchor for the bacteria to attach to host fibrinogen on catheter surfaces. By adhering to fibrinogen, the bacteria acquire a platform on which they can create biofilms that enable colonization...