Protection against local Shigella sonnei infection in mice by parenteral immunization with a nucleoprotein subcellular vaccine.

Nucleoprotein subcellular (NPS) vaccine, consisting of ribosome-bound O polysaccharide, was prepared from avirulent Shigella sonnei. NPS vaccine was tested for safety and protective activity in the mouse intranasal challenge model of Shigella infection. The vaccine was nontoxic when injected in doses up to 10,000 micrograms, and a single subcutaneous injection of as little as 0.1 micrograms gave significant protection against a lethal intranasal challenge with S. sonnei. These data demonstrate the induction of local protective immunity by parenteral immunization, support the concept of the ribosome as a potent vaccine vector, and give additional evidence for the protective activity of the NPS vaccine against Shigella infection.