Rotavirus spike protein ΔVP8* as a novel carrier protein for conjugate vaccine platform with demonstrated antigenic potential for use as bivalent vaccine.

Conjugate vaccine platform is a promising strategy to overcome the poor immunogenicity of bacterial polysaccharide antigens in infants and children. A carrier protein in conjugate vaccines works not only as an immune stimulator to polysaccharide, but also as an immunogen; with the latter generally not considered as a measured outcome in real world. Here, we probed the potential of a conjugate vaccine platform to induce enhanced immunogenicity of a truncated rotavirus spike protein ΔVP8*.

Development of a bivalent conjugate vaccine candidate against rotaviral diarrhea and tuberculosis using polysaccharide from Mycobacterium tuberculosis conjugated to ΔVP8* protein from rotavirus.

Conjugation of carbohydrate antigens with a carrier protein is a clinically proven strategy to overcome the poor immunogenicity of bacterial polysaccharide. In addition to its primary role, which is to help generate a T cell-mediate long-lasting immune response directed against the carbohydrate antigen, the carrier protein in a glycoconjugate vaccine can also play an important role as a protective antigen. Among carrier proteins currently used in licensed conjugate vaccines, non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae protein D has been used as an antigenically active carrier protein.

Spectroscopic characterisation of a series of Salmonella Typhi Vi-diphtheria toxoid glycoconjugate antigens differing in polysaccharide-protein ratio.

Glycoconjugate vaccines consisting of the Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi) Vi capsular polysaccharide (PS) covalently attached to a suitable carrier protein have become available to support mass paediatric vaccination campaigns against typhoid.

A novel method for purification of Vi capsular polysaccharide produced by Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Typhi.

Vi capsular polysaccharide is the major component of Vi polysaccharide typhoid vaccines. Vi is synthesized during growth of Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Typhi and is released into the fermentation broth in large quantities. Along with the Vi considerable amounts of impurities consisting of bacterial protein, nucleic acid and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as well as media components contaminate the fermentation broth.

Immune suppression induced by Vi capsular polysaccharide is overcome by Vi-DT conjugate vaccine.

The influence pre-exposure of mice to Vi capsular polysaccharide, purified from Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhi, on the subsequent immune response induced by a Vi-diphtheria toxoid (Vi-DT) conjugate was evaluated. Vi induced low anti Vi IgG titers with the dominant subclass being IgG3. The Vi-DT conjugate induced high titers of anti Vi IgG with the dominant subclass being IgG1 but with considerable quantities of IgG2a, IgG2b and IgG3.

Physico-chemical properties of Salmonella typhi Vi polysaccharide-diphtheria toxoid conjugate vaccines affect immunogenicity.

In this study it was demonstrated that the immunogenicity of Vi polysaccharide-diphtheria toxoid conjugates was related to the physical and chemical structure of the conjugate. Conjugates were prepared in two steps, firstly binding adipic acid dihydrazide (ADH) spacer molecules to diphtheria toxoid (DT) carrier protein then secondly binding varying amounts of this derivatized DT to a fixed amount of Vi capsular polysaccharide purified from Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhi. As the amount of DT bound to the Vi increased the size of the conjugate increased but also the degree of cross-linking increased.

Oral poliovirus vaccine type 3 from a patient with transverse myelitis is neurovirulent in a transgenic mouse model.

Background: It is accepted that oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) can cause vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis (VAPP) and that wild poliovirus infection can rarely present as transverse myelitis. It is therefore possible that OPV could cause transverse myelitis. We previously reported a case of transverse myelitis that developed in a 6-month-old boy, 7 days after receiving his second dose of OPV.

Optimization of Vi capsular polysaccharide production during growth of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi Ty2 in a bioreactor.

Vi capsular polysaccharide is synthesized during growth of Salmonella typhi Ty2 and is spontaneously released from the bacterial cells into the culture medium during culture. Vi production was dependent on cell growth and the greater the cell mass the greater the production of Vi. Using fed batch culture to optimize bacterial growth resulted is an increase in cell mass and consequently Vi production.