Researchers at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, part of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, identified for the first time the importance of a protein known as interleukin 22, or IL-22, in the immune response to a strain of bacterial pneumonia. In the laboratory, the researchers were able effectively to treat mice with pneumonia by using purified IL-22.

"Currently there is no vaccine that covers all kinds of pneumonia and antibiotic treatment is sometimes limited by antibiotic resistance," said Dr. Jay Kolls, principal investigator. "As acute respiratory infections are the No. 1 killer of children in the world, progress in the development of novel vaccines or new, more effective treatments is critical. Our results raise the possibility of developing new protein-based therapies using IL-22 to limit or prevent pneumonia."

Results of the study are reported in the February online issue of Nature Medicine.