Immunization with non-replicating E. coli minicells delivering both protein antigen and DNA protects mice from lethal challenge with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus.

In the midst of new investigations into the mechanisms of both delivery and protection of new vaccines and vaccine carriers, it has become clear that immunization with delivery mechanisms that do not involve living, replicating organisms are vastly preferred. In this report, non-replicating bacterial minicells simultaneously co-delivering the nucleoprotein (NP) of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) and the corresponding DNA vaccine were tested for the ability to generate protective cellular immune responses in mice. It was found that good protection (89%) was achieved after intramuscular administration, moderate protection (31%) was achieved after intranasal administration, and less protection (7%) was achieved following gastric immunization. These results provide a solid foundation on which to pursue the use of bacterial minicells as a non-replicating vaccine delivery platform.