Capsular polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccines

The conjugation of polysaccharides to carrier proteins generally enhances polysaccharide immunogenicity and renders the immune response T-cell dependent, Such enhancement of immunogenicity has made the use of conjugate vaccines possible in populations that are otherwise unresponsive to polysaccharide vaccines. Here, the authors discuss the value of capsular polysaccharide vaccines, their ability to elicit protective immunity against infectious bacteria, the selection of appropriate polysaccharides and carrier proteins, and the applications of the resultant conjugate vaccines.