Jahnavi Sarma
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Written By: Jahnavi Sarma | Updated : June 19, 2020 7:38 PM IST
Nearly 150 potential COVID-19 vaccines are being developed around the world.
The race for a vaccine is on even as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to claim lives and infect people across the world. There are now many hopefuls and some trials have gone on to the human trial phase. Some experts claim that we may have a vaccine by the end of the year while others say that it will be in the market by next year. But, as of now, we don't have a vaccine yet. Researchers are looking at old vaccines and drugs that may help in any way.
Now, a new study from the Louisiana State University in the US says that the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine may serve as a preventive measure to dampen septic inflammation associated with COVID-19 infection. According to the study, published in the journal mBio, vaccination with MMR in immunocompetent individuals has no contraindications and may be especially effective for health care workers who can easily be exposed to this highly contagious disease.
Researchers say that live attenuated vaccines seemingly have some non-specific benefits as well as immunity to the target pathogen. A clinical trial with MMR in high-risk populations may provide a low-risk-high-reward preventive measure in saving lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Researchers of the above-mentioned study say that they believe that while conducting the clinical trials, it may not hurt anybody to have an MMR vaccine that would protect against the measles, mumps, and rubella with this potential added benefit of helping against the current contagion. According to them, mounting evidence demonstrates that live attenuated vaccines provide nonspecific protection against lethal infections unrelated to the target pathogen of the vaccine by inducing trained nonspecific innate immune cells for improved host responses against subsequent infections.
Live attenuated vaccines induce nonspecific effects representing "trained innate immunity" by training leukocyte (immune system cells) precursors in the bone marrow to function more effectively against broader infectious insults. Vaccination with a live attenuated fungal strain-induced trained innate offer protection against lethal polymicrobial sepsis. The protection was mediated by long-lived myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), which previously reported inhibiting septic inflammation and mortality in several experimental models. The researchers say that an MMR vaccine should be able to induce MDSCs that can inhibit or reduce the severe lung inflammation/sepsis associated with COVID-19.
Mortality in COVID-19 cases is strongly associated with progressive lung inflammation and eventual sepsis. Recent events provide support for the researchers' hypothesis. The milder symptoms seen in the 955 sailors on the USS Roosevelt who tested positive for COVID-19 (only one hospitalisation) may have been a consequence of the fact that the MMR vaccinations are given to all US Navy recruits. In addition, epidemiological data suggest a correlation between people in geographical locations who routinely receive the MMR vaccine and reduced COVID-19 death rates.
Based on the results of this study, the researchers propose a clinical trial to test whether the MMR vaccine can protect against COVID-19. But, in the meantime, they suggest that all adults, especially health care workers and individuals in nursing homes get the MMR vaccine.
(With inputs from IANS)
