Dive Brief:
- University of Texas researchers have developed an oral vaccine for salmonella, the foodborne pathogen that causes the most hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S., Food Safety News reported.
- Researchers said the vaccine likely won't be publicly available for another five years.
- These researchers had previously developed a possible injectable salmonella vaccine, but an oral vaccine may be more successful because it is less invasive and easier to administer.
Dive Insight:
Salmonella has been the bane of local, state and federal food safety regulators for decades. But despite concerted efforts to better control salmonella contamination and outbreaks, infection rates remain relatively unchanged in the U.S. since 1996, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The anticipated five years before the vaccine is on the market likely includes the time it will take researchers to push the salmonella vaccine through trials for approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, then commercialize the vaccine to make it more accessible. It's unclear at this point how much this vaccine would cost. If it is affordable for the majority of consumers and their insurance plans, however, this could be a major turn of events for the food and beverage industry.
Still, vaccines don't necessarily mean a free pass for manufacturers to slack off on food safety protocols meant to reduce or eliminate the presence of salmonella in their products and facilities. Bacterial pathogens can evolve beyond treatments and vaccines currently available on the market, which experts refer to as "superbugs."
One vaccine won't necessarily inoculate consumers of all strains of salmonella, or any other targeted pathogen, as that pathogen could eventually evolve into a stronger version of itself. That would then require continuous development of new treatments or vaccines.