Current Biotechnological Bacterial Vaccines

Vaccination is one of the most important and cost-effective methods used for prevention from the infectious diseases. Inactivated and live-attenuated commercial vaccines are efficient tools to combat infections specific to both the industry of animal husbandry having a financial importance and the zoonotic diseases. However recently, important investigations for the development of more effective and safe vaccines due to the progress in molecular biology and immunology have been performed and products based on the new technologies are presented to the commercial use. In this frame, biotechnological vaccines developed in the last years are native and recombinant protein subunit, DNA and vector vaccines. Subunit vaccines like the other inactivated ones require appropriate adjuvants for efficient induction of the protective immune response and multi-component vaccines consisting of more than one immunogens are recommended. DNA vaccines induce stronger cell-mediated immune response and generally can be used without adjuvant addition. Recombinant subunit, DNA and vector vaccines are efficient with low reactogenicity and have the potential of being used as marker. The most important benefits of the marker vaccines are their ability to insure discrimination of the vaccinated and infected animals in control-eradication programmes. In particular, protective antigens, vaccines and adjuvants based on the new technologies to combat endemic infections constitute one of the most important scientific, technological and economical scopes of today and future decades. In this sense, vaccine development and production activities of efficient, safe, easily applicable and cost-effective vaccines are very important for both veterinary medicine and public health.