Live attenuated S. Typhimurium vaccine with improved safety in immuno-compromised mice

Microbiome diversity protects against pathogens by nutrient blocking

The human gut microbiome plays an important role in resisting colonization of the host by pathogens, but we lack the ability to predict which communities will be protective. We studied how human gut bacteria influence colonization of two major bacterial pathogens, both in vitro and in gnotobiotic mice. Whereas single species alone had negligible effects, colonization resistance greatly increased with community diversity. Moreover, this community-level resistance rested critically upon certain species being present. We explained these ecological patterns through the collective ability of resistant communities to consume nutrients that overlap with those used by the pathogen. Furthermore, we applied our findings to successfully predict communities that resist a novel target strain. Our work provides a reason why microbiome diversity is beneficial and suggests a route for the rational design of pathogen-resistant communities.

The microbiota conditions a gut milieu that selects for wild-type Salmonella Typhimurium virulence

Salmonella Typhimurium elicits gut inflammation by the costly expression of HilD-controlled virulence factors. This inflammation alleviates colonization resistance (CR) mediated by the microbiota and thereby promotes pathogen blooms. However, the inflamed gut-milieu can also select for hilD mutants, which cannot elicit or maintain inflammation, therefore causing a loss of the pathogen's virulence. This raises the question of which conditions support the maintenance of virulence in S. Typhimurium. Indeed, it remains unclear why the wild-type hilD allele is dominant among natural isolates. Here, we show that microbiota transfer from uninfected or recovered hosts leads to rapid clearance of hilD mutants that feature attenuated virulence, and thereby contributes to the preservation of the virulent S. Typhimurium genotype. Using mouse models featuring a range of microbiota compositions and antibiotic- or inflammation-inflicted microbiota disruptions, we found that irreversible disruption of the microbiota leads to the accumulation of hilD mutants. In contrast, in models with a transient microbiota disruption, selection for hilD mutants was prevented by the regrowing microbiota community dominated by Lachnospirales and Oscillospirales. Strikingly, even after an irreversible microbiota disruption, microbiota transfer from uninfected donors prevented the rise of hilD mutants. Our results establish that robust S. Typhimurium gut colonization hinges on optimizing its manipulation of the host: A transient and tempered microbiota perturbation is favorable for the pathogen to both flourish in the inflamed gut and also minimize loss of virulence. Moreover, besides conferring CR, the microbiota may have the additional consequence of maintaining costly enteropathogen virulence mechanisms.

Intraluminal neutrophils limit epithelium damage by reducing pathogen assault on intestinal epithelial cells during Salmonella gut infection

Recruitment of neutrophils into and across the gut mucosa is a cardinal feature of intestinal inflammation in response to enteric infections. Previous work using the model pathogen Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S.Tm) established that invasion of intestinal epithelial cells by S.Tm leads to recruitment of neutrophils into the gut lumen, where they can reduce pathogen loads transiently. Notably, a fraction of the pathogen population can survive this defense, re-grow to high density, and continue triggering enteropathy. However, the functions of intraluminal neutrophils in the defense against enteric pathogens and their effects on preventing or aggravating epithelial damage are still not fully understood. Here, we address this question via neutrophil depletion in different mouse models of Salmonella colitis, which differ in their degree of enteropathy. In an antibiotic pretreated mouse model, neutrophil depletion by an anti-Ly6G antibody exacerbated epithelial damage. This could be linked to compromised neutrophil-mediated elimination and reduced physical blocking of the gut-luminal S.Tm population, such that the pathogen density remained high near the epithelial surface throughout the infection. Control infections with a ssaV mutant and gentamycin-mediated elimination of gut-luminal pathogens further supported that neutrophils are protecting the luminal surface of the gut epithelium. Neutrophil depletion in germ-free and gnotobiotic mice hinted that the microbiota can modulate the infection kinetics and ameliorate epithelium-disruptive enteropathy even in the absence of neutrophil-protection. Together, our data indicate that the well-known protective effect of the microbiota is augmented by intraluminal neutrophils. After antibiotic-mediated microbiota disruption, neutrophils are central for maintaining epithelial barrier integrity during acute Salmonella-induced gut inflammation, by limiting the sustained pathogen assault on the epithelium in a critical window of the infection.

Manipulation of host immune defenses by effector proteins delivered from multiple secretion systems of Salmonella and its application in vaccine research

Salmonella is an important zoonotic bacterial species and hazardous for the health of human beings and livestock globally. Depending on the host, Salmonella can cause diseases ranging from gastroenteritis to life-threatening systemic infection. In this review, we discuss the effector proteins used by Salmonella to evade or manipulate four different levels of host immune defenses: commensal flora, intestinal epithelial-mucosal barrier, innate and adaptive immunity. At present, Salmonella has evolved a variety of strategies against host defense mechanisms, among which various effector proteins delivered by the secretory systems play a key role. During its passage through the digestive system, Salmonella has to face the intact intestinal epithelial barrier as well as competition with commensal flora. After invasion of host cells, Salmonella manipulates inflammatory pathways, ubiquitination and autophagy processes with the help of effector proteins. Finally, Salmonella evades the adaptive immune system by interfering the migration of dendritic cells and interacting with T and B lymphocytes. In conclusion, Salmonella can manipulate multiple aspects of host defense to promote its replication in the host.

Comparison of vaccination efficacy using live or ultraviolet-inactivated influenza viruses introduced by different routes in a mouse model

Influenza is a major cause of highly contagious respiratory illness resulting in high mortality and morbidity worldwide. Annual vaccination is an effective way to prevent infection and complication from constantly mutating influenza strains. Vaccination utilizes preemptive inoculation with live virus, live attenuated virus, inactivated virus, or virus segments for optimal immune activation. The route of administration also affects the efficacy of the vaccination. Here, we evaluated the effects of inoculation with ultraviolet (UV)-inactivated or live influenza A virus strains and compared their effectiveness and cross protection when intraperitoneal and intramuscular routes of administration were used in mice. Intramuscular or intraperitoneal inoculation with UV-inactivated Influenza A/WSN/1933 provided some protection against intranasal challenge with a lethal dose of live Influenza A/WSN/1933 but only when a high dose of the virus was used in the inoculation. By contrast, inoculation with a low dose of live virus via either route provided complete protection against the same intranasal challenge. Intraperitoneal inoculation with live or UV-inactivated Influenza A/Philippines/2/1982 and intramuscular inoculation with UV-inactivated Influenza A/Philippines/2/1982 failed to produce cross-reactive antibodies against Influenza A/WSN/1933. Intramuscular inoculation with live Influenza A/Philippines/2/1982 induced small amounts of cross-reactive antibodies but could not suppress the cytokine storm produced upon intranasal challenge with Influenza A/WSN/1993. None of the tested inoculation conditions provided observable cross protection against intranasal challenge with a different influenza strain. Taken together, vaccination efficacy was affected by the state and dose of the vaccine virus and the route of administration. These results provide practical data for the development of effective vaccines against influenza virus.

Alteration of Salmonella enterica Virulence and Host Pathogenesis through Targeting sdiA by Using the CRISPR-Cas9 System

Salmonella enterica is a common cause of many enteric infections worldwide and is successfully engineered to deliver heterologous antigens to be used as vaccines. Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPRs) RNA-guided Cas9 endonuclease is a promising genome editing tool. In the current study, a CRISPR-Cas9 system was used to target S.enterica sdiA that encodes signal molecule receptor SdiA and responds to the quorum sensing (QS) signaling compounds N-acylhomoserine lactones (AHLs). For this purpose, sdiA was targeted in both S.enterica wild type (WT) and the ΔssaV mutant strain, where SsaV has been reported to be an essential component of SPI2-T3SS. The impact of sdiA mutation on S. enterica virulence was evaluated at both early invasion and later intracellular replication in both the presence and absence of AHL. Additionally, the influence of sdiA mutation on the pathogenesis S. enterica WT and mutants was investigated in vivo, using mice infection model. Finally, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of various antibiotics against S. enterica strains were determined. Present findings show that mutation in sdiA significantly affects S.enterica biofilm formation, cell adhesion and invasion. However, sdiA mutation did not affect bacterial intracellular survival. Moreover, in vivo bacterial pathogenesis was markedly lowered in S.enterica ΔsdiA in comparison with the wild-type strain. Significantly, double-mutant sdiA and ssaV attenuated the S. enterica virulence and in vivo pathogenesis. Moreover, mutations in selected genes increased Salmonella susceptibility to tested antibiotics, as revealed by determining the MICs and MBICs of these antibiotics. Altogether, current results clearly highlight the importance of the CRISPR-Cas9 system as a bacterial genome editing tool and the valuable role of SdiA in S.enterica virulence. The present findings extend the understanding of virulence regulation and host pathogenesis of Salmonellaenterica.

The coenzyme A biosynthetic pathway: A new tool for prodrug bioactivation

Prodrugs account for more than 5% of pharmaceuticals approved worldwide. Over the past decades several prodrug design strategies have been firmly established; however, only a few functional groups remain amenable to this approach. The aim of this overview is to highlight the use of coenzyme A (CoA) biosynthetic enzymes as a recently explored bioactivation scheme and provide information about its scope of utility. This emerging tool is likely to have a strong impact on future medicinal and biological studies as it offers promiscuity, orthogonal selectivity, and the capability of assembling exceptionally large molecules.

Vaccination against Salmonella Infection: the Mucosal Way

Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica includes several serovars infecting both humans and other animals and leading to typhoid fever or gastroenteritis. The high prevalence of associated morbidity and mortality, together with an increased emergence of multidrug-resistant strains, is a current global health issue that has prompted the development of vaccination strategies that confer protection against most serovars. Currently available systemic vaccine approaches have major limitations, including a reduced effectiveness in young children and a lack of cross-protection among different strains. Having studied host-pathogen interactions, microbiologists and immunologists argue in favor of topical gastrointestinal administration for improvement in vaccine efficacy. Here, recent advances in this field are summarized, including mechanisms of bacterial uptake at the intestinal epithelium, the assessment of protective host immunity, and improved animal models that closely mimic infection in humans. The pros and cons of existing vaccines are presented, along with recent progress made with novel formulations. Finally, new candidate antigens and their relevance in the refined design of anti-Salmonella vaccines are discussed, along with antigen vectorization strategies such as nanoparticles or secretory immunoglobulins, with a focus on potentiating mucosal vaccine efficacy.

Animal Models for Salmonellosis: Applications in Vaccine Research

Salmonellosis remains an important cause of human disease worldwide. While there are several licensed vaccines for Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi, these vaccines are generally ineffective against other Salmonella serovars. Vaccines that target paratyphoid and nontyphoidal Salmonella serovars are very much in need. Preclinical evaluation of candidate vaccines is highly dependent on the availability of appropriate scientific tools, particularly animal models. Many different animal models exist for various Salmonella serovars, from whole-animal models to smaller models, such as those recently established in insects. Here, we discuss various mouse, rat, rabbit, calf, primate, and insect models for Salmonella infection, all of which have their place in research. However, choosing the right model is imperative in selecting the best vaccine candidates for further clinical testing. In this minireview, we summarize the various animal models that are used to assess salmonellosis, highlight some of the advantages and disadvantages of each, and discuss their value in vaccine development.

Oral Vaccination with Attenuated Salmonella typhimurium-Delivered TsPmy DNA Vaccine Elicits Protective Immunity against Trichinella spiralis in BALB/c Mice

Background

Our previous studies showed that Trichinella spiralis paramyosin (TsPmy) is an immunomodulatory protein that inhibits complement C1q and C8/C9 to evade host complement attack. Vaccination with recombinant TsPmy protein induced protective immunity against T. spiralis larval challenge. Due to the difficulty in producing TsPmy as a soluble recombinant protein, we prepared a DNA vaccine as an alternative approach in order to elicit a robust immunity against Trichinella infection.

Methods and Findings

The full-length TsPmy coding DNA was cloned into the eukaryotic expression plasmid pVAX1, and the recombinant pVAX1/TsPmy was transformed into attenuated Salmonella typhimurium strain SL7207. Oral vaccination of mice with this attenuated Salmonella-delivered TsPmy DNA vaccine elicited a significant mucosal sIgA response in the intestine and a systemic IgG antibody response with IgG2a as the predominant subclass. Cytokine analysis also showed a significant increase in the Th1 (IFN-γ, IL-2) and Th2 (IL-4, 5, 6, 10) responses in lymphocytes from the spleen and MLNs of immunized mice upon stimulation with TsPmy protein. The expression of the homing receptors CCR9/CCR10 on antibody secreting B cells may be related to the translocation of IgA-secreted B cells to local intestinal mucosa. The mice immunized with Salmonella-delivered TsPmy DNA vaccine produced a significant 44.8% reduction in adult worm and a 46.6% reduction in muscle larvae after challenge with T. spiralis larvae.

Conclusion

Our results demonstrated that oral vaccination with TsPmy DNA delivered by live attenuated S. typhimurium elicited a significant local IgA response and a mixed Th1/Th2 immune response that elicited a significant protection against T. spiralis infection in mice.

Trichinellosis is one of the most important food-borne parasitic zoonoses, and a serious public health issue worldwide. Developing a vaccine is an alternative approach to control the disease. TsPmy is a paramyosin expressed by Trichinella spiralis to bind and neutralize human complement and a vaccine antigen. We made a DNA vaccine of TsPmy orally delivered by attenuated Salmonella typhimurium that elicited a robust Th1/Th2 and mucosa IgA responses, and protected mice against T. spiralis infection with significant worm reduction against larval challenge. The attenuated Salmonella-delivered TsPmy DNA vaccine provides a feasible and promising approach for controlling trichinellosis in human and domestic animals.

Evaluation of the Immunogenicity of Diphtheria Toxoid Conjugated to Salmonella Typhimurium-Derived OPS in a Mouse Model: A Potential Vaccine Candidate Against Salmonellosis

Background

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) causes gastroenteritis in humans and paratyphoid disease in some animals. Given the emergence of antibiotic resistance, vaccines are more effective than chemotherapy in disease control.

Objectives

The aim of this experimental study was to evaluate the immunogenicity of diphtheria toxoid (DT) conjugated with S. Typhimurium -derived OPS (O side chain isolation) in mice to determine its potential as a vaccine candidate against salmonellosis.

Materials and Methods

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was extracted from the bacterial strain. After isolation of the O side chain of LPS, detoxification, and conjugation of the detoxified OPS samples with DT, pyrogenicity, toxicity, and sterility tests were performed. To vaccination, four groups of female Balb/c mice were used in an immunization test. Antibody responses were measured by the ELISA method. Challenging processes were performed to analyze the efficacy of the OPS-DT compound.

Results

Two weeks after the first vaccination dose, there was no significant difference in the antibody titers of the OPS and OPS-DT groups. However, after the second and third doses, the antibody titers of the OPS-DT group increased significantly compared with those of the control groups (P < 0.001). The induction of anti-OPS antibodies was as follows: OPS-DT>OPS. The most anti-OPS IgG antibody was IgG1. Challenging procedure showed successful protective characteristics in clinical examinations.

Conclusions

The results indicated that DT increased anti-OPS antibodies against the OPS-DT compound. The antibody response to OPS-DT was greater than that to OPS alone. We conclude that OPS-DT is an appropriate and acceptable vaccine candidate against salmonellosis.

Global transcriptome and mutagenic analyses of the acid tolerance response of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) is one of the leading causative agents of food-borne bacterial gastroenteritis. Swift invasion through the intestinal tract and successful establishment in systemic organs are associated with the adaptability of S. Typhimurium to different stress environments. Low-pH stress serves as one of the first lines of defense in mammalian hosts, which S. Typhimurium must efficiently overcome to establish an infection. Therefore, a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the adaptability of S. Typhimurium to acid stress is highly relevant. In this study, we have performed a transcriptome analysis of S. Typhimurium under the acid tolerance response (ATR) and found a large number of genes (∼47%) to be differentially expressed (more than 1.5-fold or less than -1.5-fold; P < 0.01). Functional annotation revealed differentially expressed genes to be associated with regulation, metabolism, transport and binding, pathogenesis, and motility. Additionally, our knockout analysis of a subset of differentially regulated genes facilitated the identification of proteins that contribute to S. Typhimurium ATR and virulence. Mutants lacking genes encoding the K(+) binding and transport protein KdpA, hypothetical protein YciG, the flagellar hook cap protein FlgD, and the nitrate reductase subunit NarZ were significantly deficient in their ATRs and displayed varied in vitro virulence characteristics. This study offers greater insight into the transcriptome changes of S. Typhimurium under the ATR and provides a framework for further research on the subject.

Cholera toxin-B (ctxB) antigen expressing Salmonella Typhimurium polyvalent vaccine exerts protective immune response against Vibrio cholerae infection

Live attenuated vaccines are cost effective approach for preventing a broad range of infectious diseases, and thus are of great interest. However, immune-defects can predispose the patient to infections by the vaccine candidate itself. So far, few live vaccine candidates have been designed specifically for immune compromised individuals. Recently, we reported a new Salmonella Typhimurium Z234-vaccine strain (Periaswamy et al., PLoS ONE 2012;7:e45433), which was specifically attenuated in the NADPH-oxidase deficient host. In the present study, the Z234-vaccine strain was further engineered to express heterologous antigen (Vibrio cholerae toxin antigen subunit-B, i.e. CtxB) with the intention of creating a vector for simultaneous protection against Cholera and Salmonellosis. The primary aim of this study was to ensure the expression of CtxB antigen by the recombinant vaccine strain Z234-pMS101. The antigen CtxB was expressed through Z234 as a fusion protein with N-terminal signal sequence of Salmonella outer protein (SopE), an effector protein from Salmonella under the control of SopE promoter. The CtxB-expressing plasmid construct pMS101 (pM968-pSopE-ctxB) was found to be stable both in vitro and in vivo. In an oral mouse infection model, the vaccine strain Z234-pMS101 efficiently colonized the host gut. The extent of protection was confirmed after challenging the immunized hosts with live V. cholerae. Vaccinated mice showed reduced gut colonization by V. cholerae. Further assessment of immunological parameters supported the possibility of conferring effective immune response by Z234-pMS101 vaccine strain. Overall, the Z234-pMS101 vaccine strain showed potential as a promising polyvalent vaccine candidate to protect against S. Typhimurium and V. cholerae infection simultaneously.

Antigen Delivery System II

This chapter reviews papers mostly written since 2005 that report results using live attenuated bacterial vectors to deliver after administration through mucosal surfaces, protective antigens, and DNA vaccines, encoding protective antigens to induce immune responses and/or protective immunity to pathogens that colonize on or invade through mucosal surfaces. Papers that report use of such vaccine vector systems for parenteral vaccination or to deal with nonmucosal pathogens or do not address induction of mucosal antibody and/or cellular immune responses are not reviewed.

Granulocytes impose a tight bottleneck upon the gut luminal pathogen population during Salmonella typhimurium colitis

Topological, chemical and immunological barriers are thought to limit infection by enteropathogenic bacteria. However, in many cases these barriers and their consequences for the infection process remain incompletely understood. Here, we employed a mouse model for Salmonella colitis and a mixed inoculum approach to identify barriers limiting the gut luminal pathogen population. Mice were infected via the oral route with wild type S. Typhimurium (S. Tm) and/or mixtures of phenotypically identical but differentially tagged S. Tm strains ("WITS", wild-type isogenic tagged strains), which can be individually tracked by quantitative real-time PCR. WITS dilution experiments identified a substantial loss in tag/genetic diversity within the gut luminal S. Tm population by days 2-4 post infection. The diversity-loss was not attributable to overgrowth by S. Tm mutants, but required inflammation, Gr-1+ cells (mainly neutrophilic granulocytes) and most likely NADPH-oxidase-mediated defense, but not iNOS. Mathematical modelling indicated that inflammation inflicts a bottleneck transiently restricting the gut luminal S. Tm population to approximately 6000 cells and plating experiments verified a transient, inflammation- and Gr-1+ cell-dependent dip in the gut luminal S. Tm population at day 2 post infection. We conclude that granulocytes, an important clinical hallmark of S. Tm-induced inflammation, impose a drastic bottleneck upon the pathogen population. This extends the current view of inflammation-fuelled gut-luminal Salmonella growth by establishing the host response in the intestinal lumen as a double-edged sword, fostering and diminishing colonization in a dynamic equilibrium. Our work identifies a potent immune defense against gut infection and reveals a potential Achilles' heel of the infection process which might be targeted for therapy.

Vaccines against human diarrheal pathogens: current status and perspectives

Worldwide, nearly 1.7 billion people per year contract diarrheal infectious diseases (DID) and almost 760 000 of infections are fatal. DID are a major problem in developing countries where poor sanitation prevails and food and water may become contaminated by fecal shedding. Diarrhea is caused by pathogens such as bacteria, protozoans and viruses. Important diarrheal pathogens are Vibrio cholerae, Shigella spp. and rotavirus, which can be prevented with vaccines for several years. The focus of this review is on currently available vaccines against these three pathogens, and on development of new vaccines. Currently, various types of vaccines based on traditional (killed, live attenuated, toxoid or conjugate vaccines) and reverse vaccinology (DNA/mRNA, vector, recombinant subunit, plant vaccines) are in development or already available. Development of new vaccines demands high levels of knowledge, experience, budget, and time, yet promising new vaccines often fail in preclinical and clinical studies. Efficacy of vaccination also depends on the route of delivery, and mucosal immunization in particular is of special interest for preventing DID. Furthermore, adjuvants, delivery systems and other vaccine components are essential for an adequate immune response. These aspects will be discussed in relation to the improvement of existing and development of new vaccines against DID.

Bacterial itaconate degradation promotes pathogenicity

Itaconate (methylenesuccinate) was recently identified as a mammalian metabolite whose production is substantially induced during macrophage activation. This compound is a potent inhibitor of isocitrate lyase, a key enzyme of the glyoxylate cycle, which is a pathway required for the survival of many pathogens inside the eukaryotic host. Here we show that numerous bacteria, notably many pathogens such as Yersinia pestis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, have three genes for itaconate degradation. They encode itaconate coenzyme A (CoA) transferase, itaconyl-CoA hydratase and (S)-citramalyl-CoA lyase, formerly referred to as CitE-like protein. These genes are known to be crucial for survival of some pathogens in macrophages. The corresponding enzymes convert itaconate into the cellular building blocks pyruvate and acetyl-CoA, thus enabling the bacteria to metabolize itaconate and survive in macrophages. The itaconate degradation and detoxification pathways of Yersinia and Pseudomonas are the result of convergent evolution. This work revealed a common persistence factor operating in many pathogenic bacteria.

TTSS2-deficient hha mutant of Salmonella Typhimurium exhibits significant systemic attenuation in immunocompromised hosts

Non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) infections are emerging as leading problem worldwide and the variations in host immune status append to the concern of NTS. Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is one of the causative agents of NTS infections and has been extensively studied. The inactivation of Salmonella pathogenicity island 2 (SPI2) encoded type-III secretion system 2 (TTSS2) has been reported rendering the strain incapable for systemic dissemination to host sites and has also been proposed as live-attenuated vaccine. However, infections from TTSS2-deficient Salmonella have also been reported. In this study, mutant strain MT15 was developed by inactivation of the hemolysin expression modulating protein (hha) in TTSS2-deficient S. Typhimurium background. The MT15 strain showed significant level of attenuation in immune-deprived murine colitis model when tested in iNos(-/-), IL10(-/-), and CD40L(-/-) mice groups in C57BL/6 background. Further, the mutation in hha does not implicate any defect in bacterial colonization to the host gut. The long-term infection of developed mutant strain conferred protective immune responses to suitably immunized streptomycin pre-treated C57BL/6 mice. The immunization enhanced the CD4(+) and CD8(+) cell types involved in bacterial clearance. The serum IgG and luminal secretory IgA (sIgA) was also found to be elevated after the due course of infection. Additionally, the immunized C57BL/6 mice were protected from the subsequent lethal infection of Salmonella Typhimurium. Collectively, these findings implicate the involvement of hemolysin expression modulating protein (Hha) in establishment of bacterial infection. In light of the observed attenuation of the developed mutant strain, this study proposes the possible significance of SPI2-deficient hha mutant as an alternative live-attenuated vaccine strain for use against lethal Salmonella infections.

Salmonella Typhimurium TTSS-2 deficient mig-14 mutant shows attenuation in immunocompromised mice and offers protection against wild-type Salmonella Typhimurium infection

Background

Development of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) live attenuated vaccine carrier strain to prevent enteric infections has been a subject of intensive study. Several mutants of S. Typhimurium have been proposed as an effective live attenuated vaccine strain. Unfortunately, many such mutant strains failed to successfully complete the clinical trials as they were suboptimal in delivering effective safety and immunogenicity. However, it remained unclear, whether the existing live attenuated S. Typhimurium strains can further be attenuated with improved safety and immune efficacy or not.

Results

We deleted a specific non-SPI (Salmonella Pathogenicity Island) encoded virulence factor mig-14 (an antimicrobial peptide resistant protein) in ssaV deficient S. Typhimurium strain. The ssaV is an important SPI-II gene involved in Salmonella replication in macrophages and its mutant strain is considered as a potential live attenuated strain. However, fatal systemic infection was previously reported in immunocompromised mice like Nos2^−/− and Il-10^−/− when infected with ssaV deficient S. Typhimurium. Here we reported that attenuation of S. Typhimurium ssaV mutant in immunocompromised mice can further be improved by introducing additional deletion of gene mig-14. The ssaV, mig-14 double mutant was as efficient as ssaV mutant, with respect to host colonization and eliciting Salmonella-specific mucosal sIgA and serum IgG response in wild-type C57BL/6 mice. Interestingly, this double mutant did not show any systemic infection in immunocompromised mice.

Conclusions

This study suggests that ssaV, mig-14 double mutant strain can be effectively used as a potential vaccine candidate even in immunocompromised mice. Such attenuated vaccine strain could possibly used for expression of heterologous antigens and thus for development of a polyvalent vaccine strain.