Designing a Multiepitope Vaccine against the Foodborne Pathogenic Bacteria Listeria monocytogenes Using Subtractive Immunoinformatics Approaches

Abstract

Background : Listeria monocytogenes , a Gram-positive bacterium, is a prominent foodborne pathogen that causes listeriosis and poses substantial health hazards worldwide. The continuing risk of listeriosis outbreaks underlies the importance of designing an effective prevention strategy and developing a robust immune response by reverse vaccinology approaches. This study aimed to provide a critical approach for developing a potent multiepitope vaccine against this foodborne disease. Methods : A chimeric peptide construct containing 5 B-cell epitopes, 16 major histocompatibility complex I (MHC-I) epitopes, and 18 MHC-II epitopes were used to create a subunit vaccination against L. monocytogenes . The vaccine safety was evaluated by several online methods, and molecular docking was performed using ClusPro to determine the binding affinity. Immune simulation was performed using the C-ImmSimm server to demonstrate the immune response. Results : The results validated the antigenicity, non-allergenicity, and nontoxicity of the chimeric peptide construct, confirming its suitability as a subunit vaccine. Molecular docking showed a good score of 1276.5 and molecular dynamics simulations confirmed the construct’s efficacy, demonstrating its promise as a good candidate for listeriosis prophylaxis. The population coverage was as high as 91.04% with a good immune response, indicating good antigen presentation with dendritic cells and production of memory cells. Conclusions : The findings of this study highlight the potential of the designed chimeric peptide construct as an effective subunit vaccine against Listeria , paving the way for future advances in preventive methods and vaccine design.