Attenuated Shigella flexneri 2a Delta guaBA strain CVD 1204 expressing enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) CS2 and CS3 fimbriae as a live mucosal vaccine against Shigella and ETEC infection.

To construct a prototype hybrid vaccine against Shigella and enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), the genes encoding the production of ETEC CS2 and CS3 fimbriae were isolated and expressed in attenuated Shigella flexneri 2a guaBA strain CVD 1204. The CS2 cotA to -D genes, isolated from ETEC strain C91F, and the CS3 cstA to -H genes, subcloned from plasmid pCS100, were cloned into ~15-copy-number-stabilized pGA1 behind the osmotically regulated ompC promoter, resulting in high expression of both fimbriae. Under nonselective in vitro growth conditions, pGA1-CS2 and pGA1-CS3 were stable in CVD 1204, exhibiting a plasmid loss of only approximately 1% per duplication. Expression of CS2 and CS3 reduced the invasiveness of Shigella for HeLa cells and slowed the intracellular growth rate. Guinea pigs immunized intranasally with CVD 1204(pGA1-CS2) or CVD 1204(pGA1-CS3), or with a mixture of these strains, developed secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA) in tears and serum IgG antibodies against Shigella lipopolysaccharide, CS2, and CS3 antigens. Moreover, the animals were protected against keratoconjunctivitis following conjunctival challenge with virulent S. flexneri 2a strain 2457T. Animals immunized with Shigella expressing CS2 or CS3 developed serum antibodies that agglutinated Shigella as well as an ETEC strain bearing the homologous fimbriae, whereas animals immunized with combined CVD 1204(pGA1-CS2) and CVD 1204(pGA1-CS3) developed antibodies that agglutinated all three test strains. These observations support the feasibility of a multivalent vaccine against shigellosis and ETEC diarrhea consisting of multiple Shigella live vectors expressing relevant ETEC antigens.