A Live Salmonella Vaccine Delivering PcrV through the Type III Secretion System Protects against Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Abstract

The Gram-negative bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important opportunistic pathogen that causes infections in cystic fibrosis and hospitalized patients. Therapeutic treatments are limited due to the emergence and spread of new antibiotic-resistant strains. In this context, the development of a vaccine is a priority. Here, we used an attenuated strain of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium as a vehicle to express and deliver the Pseudomonas antigen PcrV. This vaccine induced the generation of specific antibodies in mice and protected them from lethal infections with P. aeruginosa . This is an important step toward the development of an effective vaccine for the prevention of infections caused by P. aeruginosa in humans.