Christmas Wish List
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we had a vaccine to prevent tooth cavities? That possibility isn’t as far-fetched as you might think. For cavities to occur, they need sugar, plaque and bacteria, and the bacteria responsible for cavities in humans are lactobacillus and a type of streptococcus. I checked this week with three of my favorite dentists to confirm that there has been a lot of effort expended towards developing a vaccine that would protect us from ever getting cavities.
How about a vaccine against acne? The germ responsible for pimples and scars is propionibacterium acnes. It’s a bacteria against which we have antibiotics such as tetracycline and erythromycin. A vaccine which prevented acne would be welcome news for the complexions of millions of teenagers and young adults.
Here are a few others on my wish list. We currently have great vaccines against hepatitis A and hepatitis B. Whoever invents a vaccine against hepatitis C will be a rich man or woman.
Some day we’ll likely have a herpes vaccine. It’s a bit complicated, however, because there’s genital herpes and oral herpes and a few other cousins. A herpes vaccine might not help the more than 80 million Americans already infected with this virus, but it would be a boon for those in the future.
In many parts of the world, malaria is an everyday threat. An effective malaria vaccine could prevent an estimated 300-500 million infections per year.
It’s been more than twenty years since AIDS was first recognized as a new disease and HIV was identified as the virus responsible. Many thought that we would have a vaccine against HIV by the mid-1990s. Unfortunately, this virus has proven to be exceedingly resistant thus far to researchers’ efforts to come up with a safe and effective vaccine.
Lastly, MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus) is a miserable bacteria that’s responsible for pneumonia and bloodstream infections, both in hospitals and in our communities. My Dad died as a result of an overwhelming staph infection, so I’ve always had a healthy respect for this particular bacteria. Selfishly, a vaccine against staph is at the top of my list.
Brad Gascoigne, M.D.
Smart Readers Health Column
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