Combination vaccines for treating or preventing Neisseria meningitidis infection are described. The vaccines include Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B proteoliposomic vesicles and Neissera meningitidis serogroup C conjugated oligosaccharides.
1. An immunogenic composition comprising a first antigen, a second antigen and an adjuvant, wherein: (a) the first antigen is a capsular oligosaccharide from serogroup C N. meningitidis (NmC) conjugated to CRM 197 ; (b) the second antigen is proteoliposomic vesicles from serogroup B of N. meningitidis (NmB); and (c) the adjuvant is MF59.
2. The composition of claim 1 , wherein said NmC oligosaccharide contains 12 to about 22 repeating units from N. meningitidis serogroup C capsular polysaccharide.
3. The composition of claim 1 , wherein said NmB is strain 44/76 (B15:P1.7, 16:L3,7,9).
4. The composition of claim 1 , wherein said proteoliposomic vesicles are produced by a deoxycholate extraction process.
5. The composition of claim 1 , wherein said carrier is polylactic acid or polyglycolic acid.
6. The composition of claim 1 , wherein said composition comprises immunologically effective amounts of the first and the second antigen.
7. An immunogenic composition comprising an immunologically effective amount of a first antigen and an immunologically effective amount of a second antigen, wherein: (a) the first antigen is a capsular oligosaccharide from serogroup C N. meningitidis (NmC), conjugated to CRM 197 , and contains from 12 to 22 repeating units from the NmC capsular polysaccharide and (b) the second antigen is proteoliposomic vesicles from strain 44/76 (B15:P1.7, 16:L3,7,9) of serogroup B N. meningitidis (NmB), wherein said proteoliposomic vesicles are produced by a deoxycholate extraction process.
8. The composition of claim 7 , wherein said composition further comprises aluminum hydroxide or MF59.
9. The composition of claim 7 , wherein said composition further comprises a carrier, wherein said carrier is polylactic acid or polyglycolic acid.
10. An immunogenic composition comprising a first antigen, a second antigen and an adjuvant, wherein: (a) the first antigen is a capsular oligosaccharide from serogroup C N. meningitidis containing 12 to about 22 repeating units from N. meningitidis serogroup C capsular polysaccharide conjugated to a carrier, and (b) the second antigen is proteoliposomic vesicles from serogroup B of N. meningitidis (NmB).
11. A method of inducing an immune response in a subject comprising administering an immunologically effective amount of the immunogenic composition of any one of claims 1 , 2 - 4 and 5 - 9 .