Animal and in vitro research on basic pathology and host responses should generate hypotheses to be tested in humans to determine immune defense mechanisms in the male and female genital tracts. The effects of the microbial

environment and the reproductive cycle on gonococcal immunobiology should also be explored. The feasibility of a prophylactic vaccine still needs to be determined. Consideration should be given to early evaluation of rational vaccine candidates in Phase I clinical trials to assess safety and nature of the immune responses generated. Trial endpoints are needed that would balance ethical, scientific, and regulatory considerations. As with chlamydia, diagnosing PID is a barrier to assessing disease as an endpoint in vaccine trials. Efforts to streamline the human gonorrhea challenge model INK 128 mw currently used in one academic Apoptosis Compound Library ic50 setting and to address regulatory issues affecting the model’s efficiency will be important future pursuits [20]. Meeting participants discussed the potential for developing a vaccine

against T. vaginalis infection, the most common of all the curable STIs, with 276 million new cases estimated globally in 2008 [8]. Infection has been linked with adverse pregnancy outcomes and increased HIV transmission [21], and associations with other potential outcomes, Ketanserin such as prostate cancer and vaginal symptoms in older women,

are being explored [22] and [23]. However, improved understanding of the epidemiology and natural history of trichomoniasis is a critical first step toward vaccine development. Trichomoniasis prevalence, incidence, and natural history, including risks of sequelae such as pre-term labor, low birth weight, and HIV acquisition and transmission, need to be better defined. In addition, the global economic impact of trichomoniasis should be carefully modeled. Smith and Garber discuss the current status of T. vaginalis vaccine development in this issue [21]. Two strains of T. vaginalis have been identified; both of these interact with the genital microbiome in several ways. However, the host-pathogen interaction in the genital tract is not well delineated, and no correlates of immunity are known. Newer genomic and proteomic approaches have identified T. vaginalis proteins that could be potential candidate vaccine antigens [21]. However, further work is needed on the factors associated with pathogenicity, immune responses during trichomoniasis, and the role of T. vaginalis in immunomodulation of the lower genital tract, including interactions with the vaginal microbiome and other infections. Meeting participants explored some promising findings related to syphilis vaccine development.