AN OVERVIEW OF CURRENT VACCCINES FOR THE PROPHYLAXIS OF BACTERICAL INFECTIONS

Abstract

Antibacterial vaccines play a central role in modern medicine by providing an effective approach to combating infectious diseases caused by bacteria. The importance of these vaccines lies in their ability to stimulate the immune system to recognise and neutralise bacterial pathogens, or exotoxins produced by them, thereby preventing, or mitigating the severity of bacterial infections. The development and widespread use of antibacterial vaccines have contributed significantly to reducing the global burden of diseases such as pneumonia, meningitis, and sepsis. Today, the global increase in vaccine-preventable diseases is a worrying trend that is closely linked to the emergence and advocacy of anti-vaccination policies. According to the latest World Health Organisation report, vaccination coverage in Serbia has declined over the past decade, jeopardising the collective immunity and led to recent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as whooping cough and measles. Understanding the significance of antibacterial vaccines underscores their importance in promoting individual and community immunity, which ultimately leads to a healthier population and the prevention of antibiotic resistance. This paper summarises the main characteristics of the different types of antibacterial vaccines, such as whole cell vaccines, subunit vaccines and toxoid vaccines, and provides an overview of the types of bacterial antigens contained in vaccines available for mandatory immunisation (vaccines against tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae and pneumoccus) or for non-mandatory immunisation (meningococcal vaccine, typhoid vaccine, cholera vaccine).