Bacteria may show promise in AIDS fight.

2003 OCT 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A modified form of bacteria normally present in the vagina may one day be used to protect women from AIDS, according to new research.

The engineered bacteria showed promise in laboratory testing, and researchers now plan to try them out in animals, said John A. Lewicki of Osel, Inc., in Santa Clara, California.

The most common way AIDS is transmitted is through heterosexual intercourse, with women particularly vulnerable in countries where condoms and other protective measures are less available.

Researchers used a strain of Lactobacillus jensenii, generally abundant in mucus secreted by the mucous membrane lining a healthy vagina. The bacteria were modified to produce a protein called CD4, which binds to the HIV virus that causes AIDS.

In laboratory tests, the enhanced bacteria reduced the rate of HIV infection in susceptible cells by at least half, the researchers said. Their findings are reported in the September 12, 2003, online issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

"The paper presents our first prototype for a product that will come to use," Lewicki said in a telephone interview. His company develops therapeutic products from common bacteria.

"This is something we believe is moving toward a clinical reality," he said. But, he said, animal testing is needed and the developers will work closely ...