Identification of vaccine candidates against serogroup B meningococcus by whole-genome sequencing

Neisseria meningitidis is a major cause of bacterial septicemia and meningi tis. Sequence variation of surface-exposed proteins and cross-reactivity of the serogroup B capsular polysaccharide with human tissues have hampered e fforts to develop a successful vaccine. To overcome these obstacles, the en tire genome sequence bf a virulent serogroup B strain (MC58) was used to id entify vaccine candidates. A total of 350 candidate antigens were expressed in Escherichia coli, purified. and used to immunize mice. The sera allowed the identification of proteins that are surface exposed, that are conserve d in sequence across a range of strains, and that induce a bactericidal ant ibody response, a property known to correlate with vaccine efficacy in huma ns.