Vaccination with the glycoprotein D gene of pseudorabies virus delivered by nonpathogenic Escherichia coli elicits protective immune responses

Attenuated intracellular bacteria. such as Salmonella and Shigella, have been exploited to act as gene delivery vectors. In this study, we report that nonpathogenic. live Escherichia toll can be used for the delivery of DNA vaccines in vivo, leading to generation of immune responses against plasmid-encoded foreign antigens. The pseudorabies virus (PrV) DNA vaccine carrying the glycoprotein D (gD) gene delivered by E. coli was able to induce protective immune responses in mice against a lethal PrV challenge. Go-delivery of E. toll carrying plasmid DNA encoding prothymosin a enhanced cellular immune responses to the PrV DNA vaccine delivered by E, coli. Our results suggest that nonpathogenic E. coli mag; be used as a vector for DNA vaccines in veterinary uses. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.