Non-parenteral delivery of vaccines is reviewed focusing on the delivery sy
stems that have been used for various mucosal routes of administration. Sys
tems considered include biodegradable micro- and nanoparticles, liposomes,
live bacterial and viral vectors and mucosal adjuvants. New approaches to m
ucosal vaccine formulation using: (i) gene fusion technology to create non-
toxic derivatives of mucosal adjuvants, (ii) genetically inactivated antige
ns with a deletion in an essential gene, (iii) coexpression of an antigen a
nd a specific cytokine that is important in the modulation and control of a
mucosal immune response, and (iv) genetic material itself that would allow
DNA or RNA uptake and its endogenous expression in the host cell are descr
ibed.