Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B outer membrane vesicle antigens (MenB OMV)

Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B outer membrane vesicle (OMV) antigens are proteoliposomes shed from the bacterial surface that contain essential immunogenic proteins such as Porin A (PorA) (PubMed: 24128618). These vesicles are utilized in vaccines because the serogroup B capsular polysaccharide is a poor immunogen due to its structural similarity to human neural cell adhesion molecules (NCAM), which poses a risk of autoimmunity (PubMed: 12730014). OMVs act as both a delivery system and an intrinsic adjuvant, presenting antigens in their native conformation to the immune system to elicit a bactericidal response (PubMed: 23414374). In the 4CMenB vaccine (Bexsero), OMVs from the NZ98/254 strain are combined with recombinant proteins (fHbp, NadA, NHBA) to provide broad protection against various meningococcal strains (FDA: Bexsero Prescribing Information). The primary therapeutic role is the prevention of invasive meningococcal disease, including meningitis and septicemia, by inducing serum bactericidal antibodies (PubMed: 25135126).

Other names

Meningococcal group B outer membrane vesiclesOMV NZ98/2544CMenB OMV componentBacterial outer membrane vesicles

Induction of complement-mediated bactericidal antibodies that target surface proteins on Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B, leading to bacterial lysis and clearance (PubMed: 24128618).