Lana's illness may help lead to vaccine

An Auckland researcher has established TV personality Lana Coc-Kroft was vulnerable to an infectious coral cut which left her fighting for her life.

Coc-Kroft became ill while filming Celebrity Treasure Island last year, lapsing in and out of consciousness for days with streptococcal toxic shock syndrome.

Dr Thomas Proft, an Auckland Medical School senior research fellow in molecular medicine, told the Weekend Herald yesterday that his study of blood samples from Coc-Kroft established she had low levels of neutralising antibodies which worked against the toxins that played a major role in toxic shock.

The results might be useful in creating a vaccine.