Universal vaccine for pneumococcal disease moves closer to reality

07 August 2026

Targeting shared proteins could help to control bacterial subtypes that current vaccines do not protect against.

There are more than 100 subtypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria (artificially coloured), leading scientists to seek a universal vaccine that would protect against all forms of the pathogen. Credit: James Cavallini/SPL

Scientists are one step closer to developing a universal vaccine against Streptococcus pneumoniae, a bacterium that causes pneumonia and meningitis.

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Universal vaccine for pneumococcal disease moves closer to reality

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