Agonists of Toll-like receptors 3, 4, 7, and 9 are candidates for use as adjuvants in an outer membrane vaccine against Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B.

The bacterium Neisseria meningitidis is the causative agent of meningitis and sepsis. A generally effective vaccine against N. meningitidis serogroup B is not yet available, but outer membrane vesicle vaccines are in development. These vaccines contain lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The inclusion of N. meningitidis wild-type LPS in a vaccine is controversial because of its high toxicity. Therefore, the adjuvant activity of a panel of different Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists in combination with LPS-deficient meningococcal outer membrane complexes was compared after immunization of mice. The results demonstrate that TLR3, TLR4, TLR7, and TLR9 agonists enhance immune responses against LPS-deficient outer membrane complexes. Their adjuvant activity was characterized by higher levels of antigen-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgG2a, and IgG2b; a higher IgG2a/IgG1 ratio; lower total IgE levels; and most importantly, higher serum bactericidal antibody titers compared to LPS-deficient outer membrane complexes alone.