Perspectives on DNA vaccines. Targeting staphylococcal adhesins to prevent implant infections.

DNA vaccines consist of a plasmid DNA genetically engineered to produce one or moreproteins able to elicit protective immune responses against virulence factors of infectious pathogens.Once introduced into the cells of the host, a DNA vaccine induces a high production of antigens bythe endogenous presence of the peptide codifying gene; improves antigen processing and presentation;may be able to simultaneously co-express multiple antigenic molecules; and, lastly, switches onboth humoral and cellular immune responses. In this mini-review, we underscore the advantageouscharacteristics of DNA vaccines compared with traditional ones and provide summaries of some of themore recent studies on them, mainly focusing the possibility of their use in targeting the staphylococcaladhesins that play a key role in the first adhesive phase of implant infections.