Identification of protein candidates for developing bacterial ghost vaccines against Brucella.

VITO G. DELVECCHIO; TIM ALEFANTIS; RODOLFO A. UGALDE; DIEGO COMERCI; MARÍA I. MARCHESINI; AKBAR KHAN; WERNER LUBITZ; CESAR V. MUJER

METHODS OF BIOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS

Wiley Interscience

Año: 2006 p. 363 - 377

0076-6941

Brucellosis is a major zoonotic disease caused by members of the genus Brucella. The human form of the disease is characterized by undulant fever, arthritic pains, and neurological disorders. Brucellosis in domesticated and wild animals is characterized by abortion and sterility. The economic loss from livestock infected with Brucella has been estimated to be $60 million in Argentina alone. Because of their highly infectious nature, Brucella have been classified as potential biological weapons of mass destruction. Brucella are facultative, intracellular Gram-negative coccobaccilli. The complete sequencing and annotation of the B. melitensis genome have provided the necessary foundation for proteomic characterization. Comparative proteomics of virulent and vaccine strains has elucidated the differential expression of genes regulating various metabolic pathways associated with virulence. Although current vaccines are effective for some domesticated animals, there is a definite need for improvement. Presently all vaccines are pathogenic for humans. Proteomics is being used to identify immunogenic proteins that can be incorporated into bacterial ghosts for the development of next-generation of Brucella vaccines, antimicrobials, and drug delivery systems.