The Need: Salmonellosis, caused by Salmonella enterica serovar enteritidis (S. enteritidis), poses a significant health threat to both humans and poultry worldwide. It leads to substantial economic losses in the poultry industry and millions of deaths annually due to acute gastroenteritis and diarrhea. Existing Salmonella vaccines offer only partial protection and have limitations in terms of effectiveness and practicality, requiring a novel solution to control the spread of Salmonella in poultry effectively.

The Technology: The disclosed technology introduces nanoparticle compositions for use as vaccines against Salmonella enteritidis in poultry. These novel Salmonella vaccines contain highly immunogenic protein antigens, such as outer membrane proteins (OMPs) or Salmonella enteritidis killed whole antigenic extracted (KAg) proteins, combined with a flagellar protein, all of which are encapsulated within polyanhydride or chitosan nanoparticles. These vaccine compositions are designed for oral delivery, targeting the gastrointestinal tract, and effectively inducing robust mucosal and cellular immune responses to reduce Salmonella colonization.

Commercial Applications:

• Poultry Industry: The technology's primary application lies in the poultry industry, where it can be used to vaccinate chickens and other birds, reducing Salmonella infections and enhancing the overall health of poultry populations.
• Food Safety: Implementation of this technology in poultry vaccination will contribute to reducing Salmonella contamination in poultry-derived products, ensuring safer food for consumers.
• Veterinary Medicine: The nanoparticle-based vaccines can be used by veterinarians to protect birds from Salmonella infections, improving animal welfare and reducing the need for antibiotic treatments.
• Biopharmaceutical Companies: Companies in the biopharmaceutical sector can explore the potential of this technology for developing and commercializing advanced veterinary vaccines targeting various Salmonella strains.
• Public Health: Effective control of Salmonella in poultry can have positive public health implications by decreasing the incidence of zoonotic transmission to humans.

Benefits/Advantages:

• Enhanced Protection: The nanoparticle-based vaccine formulation, with highly immunogenic proteins and a flagellar protein, elicits a potent immune response in birds, significantly reducing Salmonella colonization.
• Oral Delivery: Oral vaccination simplifies mass application in poultry and directly targets the gut-associated lymphoid tissues, ensuring higher mucosal IgA response compared to intramuscular vaccination.
• Increased Stability: The polyanhydride or chitosan nanoparticles protect vaccine antigens from gastric degradation, enabling efficient uptake by mucosal cells and antigen-presenting cells in the gastrointestinal tract.
• Safe and Efficient: The technology provides a safer alternative to live Salmonella vaccines, minimizing the risk of vaccine strains reverting to virulence and spreading to the environment and humans.
• Practical Application: The vaccine's ease of administration through oral delivery makes it feasible for use in large poultry farms with millions of birds, overcoming the limitations of manual injection-based vaccines.