Med:Pneumonia vaccine a potential therapy for asthma

A team from the University of Newcastle and nearby John Hunter Hospital said a pneumonia infection significantly reduced the number of inflammatory cells associated with asthma after inducing asthmatic symptoms then injecting a pneumonia bacteria in mice in laboratory tests.

The finding, presented to the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand conference in Melbourne, follows earlier research that showed the bacteria that caused pneumonia could inhibit inflammatory responses in the lungs from allergic diseases like asthma.

After killing the bacteria in the mice, the research team then administered the vaccine Prevenar to the mice, again causing a substantial reduction in asthma symptoms, researcher Alison Thorburn said.

"Our studies are confined to animal models and they are currently at a preliminary stage," Thorburn said.

"However, the initial results encourage us to consider that a vaccine prescribed for pneumonia may have potential as a therapy for people for the suppression of allergic lung diseases, such as asthma.

"At this stage, our focus is on the bacteria itself to see if we can determine how it has such effects on asthmatic symptoms."

The Melbourne conference is also addressing issues including cystic fibrosis, sleeping disorders, lung cancer and end-of-life patient choices.