Using Mild High-pressure Shock to Generate Bacterial Ghosts of Escherichia coli

In the context of vaccine development, bacterial ghosts are inert cells that retain the capacity to activate the immune system, and that can be used as vaccine or carrier for subunit or DNA vaccines. In this study we provide evidence that increasing the copynumber of the E. coli K 12 mrr locus can render naturally occurring and virulent avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC) strains hypersensitive to high pressure. We further demonstrate that mild HP shock generates inactive bacterial ghosts from these cells that have not incurred any microscopically visible structural damage. Possible benefits of high-pressure generated bacterial ghosts as a vaccine are discussed.