Development of a bacterial nanoparticle vaccine against Escherichia coli

Currently, different subunit-based vaccine strategies against enterobacteria are being investigated. Among those, bacterial outer membrane vesicles (OMV) are promising candidates because of their immunogenic properties and safety. In order to develop an effective vaccine against this kind of pathogens, it is important to induce both systemic and mucosal immunity. For that reason, the oral route of administration would be an adequate option; although it still represents a challenge due to the particular and harsh conditions of the gut. To overcome these inconveniences, different strategies have been proposed, including the use of polymeric nanoparticles based on the copolymer between methyl vinyl ether and maleic anhydride (Gantrez AN). In the present work, a simple procedure for the preparation of heat-induced OMV (named as HT) obtained from Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) loaded into these poly(anhydride) nanoparticles is described.