Key Summary
- BPZE1 safely prevents bacterial colonisation, a first for whooping cough vaccines
- Volunteers given the nasal spray had little or no bacteria and tolerated it well
- Cases are at a spike, making the breakthrough especially significant
A clinical trial at Southampton has shown a new vaccine could offer better protection against whooping cough, a contagious bacterial disease that affects the lungs and airways.
Vaccines for whooping cough are already part of routine childhood immunisations in the UK, but they don’t provide lifelong protection and don’t stop people from carrying and spreading the bacteria.
The University Hospital Southampton’s NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility (CRF) has developed a new nasal vaccine, BPZE1, that can stop the bacteria from surviving in the nose and throat.
The CHAMPION-1 study tested whether BPZE1 - a weakened version of the whooping cough bacteria - could safely protect people from infection.
The vaccine was given as a single spray into the nose to 53 volunteers.
Two to four months after receiving either the vaccine or a placebo, participants were exposed to the bacteria in a carefully controlled setting, followed by a 16-night quarantine.
The study found that BPZE1 was safe, well tolerated, and left most vaccinated people with little or no bacteria in their nose, meaning they’re less likely to spread the infection.
The results, now published in The Lancet Microbe, show that BPZE1 was safe and well tolerated, with no serious side effects.
With further trials and regulatory approval, this vaccine could be given to adults or children.
“This is the first time a whooping cough vaccine has been shown to prevent the bacteria from colonising the nose and throat in humans. That could represent a big step forward in stopping the spread of the disease,” commented Professor Robert Read, study lead at the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre.
Public Health Minister Ashley Dalton said: "This government-supported trial marks a major breakthrough in our fight against whooping cough.”
Whooping cough or pertussis disease is a highly contagious infection and in 2024 the number of cases was the highest in 30 years.
There were 14,879 cases, the highest number of confirmed cases seen in England since enhanced surveillance began in 1994.
