Oral vaccination with alginate microsphere systems

Oral vaccination is a simple, efficient way of inducing immunity at mucosal surfaces. The slow development of oral vaccines has been mainly due to the lack of suitable delivery systems. We have used hydrogel microspheres to deliver various vaccines to several animal species by oral administration. Oral delivery of vaccines using alginate microspheres elicited the production of secretory IgA (sIgA) at the mucosal surfaces in mice, rabbits, and cattle. Oral vaccination of chicken resulted in an increased delayed type hypersensitivity, a cell-mediated immune response, indicating a positive response to the vaccine. Our studies have clearly shown that alginate microspheres are effective for the oral administration of vaccines.