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Cited by 4Burkholderia infections and melioidosisBacterial Infections and VaccinesPoxvirus research and outbreaks

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Evaluation of highly conserved Burkholderia pseudomallei outer membrane proteins as protective antigens against respiratory melioidosis

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Badten, Alexander J., Oaxaca-Torres, Susana, Basu, Ritwika S., Gagnon, Matthieu G., Torres, Alfredo G.·2025·npj Vaccines
DOI 10.1038/s41541-025-01246-2PMC PMC12328632

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Abstract

Burkholderia pseudomallei ( Bpm ), the etiological agent of melioidosis, lacks approved vaccines. However, several candidates have demonstrated protection in animal models. Interestingly, some of these vaccines can induce cross-protective immunity against the closely related species B. mallei . This led us to search the Bpm proteome for antigens that are highly conserved in more distantly related pathogenic Burkholderia species, which could potentially serve as components of a pan- Burkholderia vaccine. We identified three proteins, OmpA1, OmpA2, and Pal, which were coupled to an immunogenic gold nanoparticle (AuNP) platform. Intranasal immunization with these vaccines resulted in the induction of robust Th1/Th2-balanced responses and mucosal immunity, and the AuNP-OmpA1 and AuNP-OmpA2 vaccinated animals were significantly protected from a lethal Bpm respiratory challenge. Serum antibodies were highly cross-reactive to B. mallei and partially cross-reactive to B. multivorans and B. cenocepacia , indicating that the antigens contain highly conserved epitopes that can be incorporated in a pan- Burkholderia vaccine.

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Metadata

Authors
Badten, A. J., Oaxaca-Torres, S., Basu, R. S., Gagnon, M. G., & Torres, A. G.
Affiliations
The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (US)
Corresponding author
Torres, Alfredo G.
ORCID
Venue
npj Vaccines
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2025-08-06
Volume
10
Issue
1
Pages
186-186
ISSN
2059-0105 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1038/s41541-025-01246-2
PMC
PMC12328632
OpenAlex
W4413002579
Cited by
4
References
1
Citations by year
2026: 4
FWCI
2.77
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • npj Vaccines (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Research Square (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (T32AI060549)
  • University of Texas Medical Branch (N/A)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Burkholderia infections and melioidosis
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Microbiology › Bacterial Infections and Vaccines
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Virology › Poxvirus research and outbreaks
Keywords
Burkholderia pseudomallei, melioidosis, outer membrane proteins, intranasal immunization, mucosal immunity, Th1/Th2 balance, cross-protective immunity, conserved epitopes, Burkholderia mallei, Burkholderia multivorans, Burkholderia cenocepacia, respiratory challenge

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