Mucosal vaccines for enteric bacterial pathogens

Abstract

Vaccination can be considered one of the most beneficial intervention to control infectious diseases in the history of mankind. In recent years, an intense interest has raised upon the development of novel vaccination approaches, especially against enteric pathogens. The interest has been fueled by knowledge of the molecular bases of pathogenesis of infectious diseases and by information regarding the biology of pathogens and their intimate relationship with the host. The use of attenuated bacteria in vaccine formulations has significant advantages compared to that of inactivated whole microbes, because by inducing a mild and limited infection they stimulate a robust and protective immune response. In addition, being able to naturally colonize the host, they can be used for mucosal delivery. Over the past few years, the possibility to induce oral immunization has been considered an attractive strategy which opened a new area of exploration. The development of vaccine against enteric pathogens is a challenging opportunity because a large number of bacterial pathogens exploit mucosal surface to penetrate and survive into the host. This chapter is aiming to make an overview of the progresses in the understanding of the interaction between host and enteric pathogens and in the development of the mucosal vaccines for human bacterial enteric diseases with an important impact on public health.