The use of membrane vesicles in vaccines: Implications for future development of a vaccine against mycobacterium tuberculosis

Abstract

Living bacteria produce membrane vesicles during growth, whether in culture or in an infected host. The notion that gram-negative bacteria produce outer membrane vesicles (OMV) has been around for over 40 years however the physiological functions and the biogenesis of OMVs are not fully understood. OMVs are small, non-replicating, vesicles derived from the outer membrane of viable gram-negative bacteria and possess immunogenic properties. OMVs have therefore been used in vaccine development since the late 80’s. OMV vaccines are considered a safe and effective prevention method against Neisseria meningitidis infections. Despite the lack of an outer membrane, gram-positive bacteria were found to produce membrane vesicles (MVs). The knowledge of gram-positive MVs is limited and the possible application of such MVs in vaccines remains to be elucidated. This thesis provides an overview of the field of OMV vaccines and a possible strategy for the use of MVs in a vaccine against mycobacterium tuberculosis.