Painful monthly penicillin injections could be a thing of the past as Griffith University researchers, in collaboration with researchers at the University of New England, are investigating the benefits of an alternative therapy for children diagnosed with rheumatic fever.
A new study, published in mBio, employed a novel strategy to halt progression of rheumatic heart disease in a preclinical model by using low-dose interleukin 2 (LD-IL-2).
IL-2 is a hormone of the immune system that can alter the balance of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory responses following a Strep A infection, with inflammatory signals having the potential to cause rheumatic heart disease.
Until a vaccine to prevent Strep A infections is licensed, currently the only way to halt progression of rheumatic heart disease is with monthly injections of penicillin to prevent subsequent Strep A infections.
