Vaccine and method for preventing biofilm formation
The present invention is directed to compounds and methods for immunizing a patient against a biofilm-producing bacterial infection and a vaccine related thereto.
1. An isolated and purified mutant Haemophilus influenzae cell comprising a mutant LsgG gene containing an insertion, substitution or deletion as compared to a wild-type LsgG gene, wherein said insertion, substitution or deletion results in a Haemophilus influenzae cell which has a reduced biofilm formation ability as compared to a wild-type Haemophilus influenzae cell.
2. The isolated and purified mutant Haemophilus influenzae cell of claim 1 , wherein the LsgG gene is disrupted by insertional inactivation.
3. The isolated and purified mutant Haemophilus influenzae cell of claim 1 , further comprising a mutant Rfe gene containing an insertion, substitution or deletion as compared to a wild-type Rfe gene, wherein said insertion, substitution or deletion renders said mutant cell incapable of producing a homolog of undecaprenyl-phosphate alpha-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase, which is involved in the addition of the first sugar to the carrier lipid upon which a biofilm is assembled in non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae.
4. A composition comprising the isolated and purified mutant Haemophilus influenzae cell of claim 1 in combination with a physiologically acceptable, non-toxic vehicle.
5. The composition of claim 4 , which further comprises an effective amount of an immunological adjuvant.