Evaluation of Shigella vaccine safety and efficacy in an intranasally challenged mouse model.

Five Shigella vaccine candidates (EcSf2a-1, EcSf2a-2, Sfl124, T32-Istrati and SMD) were tested for safety and efficacy in Balb/cJ mice using an intranasal challenge model. Experiments in this model suggest that (i) the relative attenuation of vaccines can be determined in mice by intranasal inoculation, (ii) all vaccines tested elicited antibacterial mucosal immunity protecting against pulmonary infection with Shigella flexneri 2a, (iii) protection was associated with serum IgA and/or IgG antibody recognizing the 2a somatic antigen.