Abstract
Salmonella infection is an increasingly important public health problem owing to the emergence of multidrug resistance and the lack of broadly efficient vaccines. Novel strategies of vaccination are required to induce protective immune responses at mucosal surfaces and in the circulation, to limit bacteria entry and dissemination. To this aim, intranasal anti-Salmonella vaccination with an innovative formulation composed of gas-filled microbubbles and the pathogen-derived protective protein serodominant secreted effector protein B (SseB-MB) was evaluated in a mouse infection model. Intranasal application of SseB-MB induced gut and systemic immunoglobulin A, T-helper type 17 cell (Th17), and Th1 responses, all of which are associated with natural immunity against Salmonella In vaccinated mice, a significant reduction in bacterial load was observed in intestinal tissues and the spleen after an otherwise lethal oral infection. Therefore, MB serve as an efficient carrier for nasal delivery of a Salmonella antigen that results in protection upon activation of the common mucosal immune system.