Protection of BALB/c mice against experimental Helicobacter pylori infection by oral immunisation with H. pylori heparan sulphate-binding proteins coupled to cholera toxin β-subunit

The presence of Helicobacter pylori in the gastroduodenal mucosae is associated with chronic active gastritis, peptic ulcers and gastric cancers such as adenocarcinoma and low-grade gastric B-cell lymphoma. In response to the presence of antibiotic-resistant strains, the use of vaccines to combat this infection has become an attractive alternative. The present study used a murine model of infection by a mouse-adapted H. pylori strain to determine whether infection in BALB/c mice can be successfully eradicated by intragastric vaccination with H. pylori heparan sulphate-binding proteins (HSBP) covalently coupled to the β-subunit of cholera toxin (CTB). It was shown that vaccination confers protection against exposure of BALB/c mice to the pathogen, as revealed by microbiological, histopathological and molecular methods.