Vaccination against Pathogenic Bacteria: An Insight into Polysaccharide and Conjugate Vaccines

Abstract

Background: The cellular glycocalyx, a dense and complex coating of glycans, surrounds the surfaceof cells and serves as a critical interface between the cell and its external environment. Within thisglycocalyx, the intricate glycans play essential roles in a variety of biological processes, includingmediating cell-cell interactions, facilitating bacterial pathogenicity, and providing protection againstenvironmental stressors such as desiccation, immune responses, and antimicrobial agents. Thepolysaccharides found on the outer surface of bacterial cells are particularly noteworthy due to theirhigh degree of conservation across species and their easy accessibility. These characteristics make themexcellent targets for immunological purposes, as they can be readily recognized by the immune system.As a result, bacterial polysaccharides and their repetitive units have been extensively studied andutilized as antigens in the development of vaccines with antibacterial properties. These vaccinesleverage the unique structural features of polysaccharides to elicit robust and specific immuneresponses, offering a promising strategy for combating bacterial infections and enhancing public health.

Conclusion: In conclusion, it is important to emphasize that the topic explored in this article is vast,and the research field has experienced rapid growth in recent decades with ongoing advancements.Given the breadth of this field, it is challenging to cover the entire spectrum of polysaccharide-basedbacterial vaccines targeting all bacterial pathogens. Additionally, due to inherent limitations, it was notfeasible to include all research on polysaccharide and glycoconjugate vaccine development for acomprehensive set of bacterial pathogens. Therefore, only a subset of common bacteria and relatedvaccine development efforts have been evaluated in this discussion. Despite these limitations, theprogress made in this area underscores the potential of polysaccharide-based vaccines as a powerfultool in the fight against bacterial infections.