ABSTRACT
Acinetobacter baumannii is a common causative agent of nosocomial infections, with a mortality rate of 43% in infected patients. Due to the emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains, vaccine development has become necessary. Since the 34 kDa outer membrane protein Omp34 has been identified as a potential vaccine target, we implemented a hybrid antigen approach to target its extracellular loops. Using bioinformatic and structural analyses, we selected Loop 3 from Omp34 and displayed it on the loopless C-lobe (LCL) of TbpB of Neisseria meningitidis. The hybrid antigen and the LCL were produced and used to immunize mice for passive and active immunization and challenge experiments in which the reactivity of the sera was assessed by ELISAs, the bacterial load in the tissues measured and the survival of immunized mice compared. LCL was ineffective in immunization against A. baumannii thus the resulting immunity was due to the presence of Omp34 loop 3. It resulted in increased survival and a reduced bacterial load in the tissues compared to the control groups. The findings indicate that the immunogenicity of Omp34 loops can induce protection against A. baumannii infection, and it could probably be used as a vaccine candidate to control the pathogenesis of A. baumannii.
