Mucosal immune cell priming by intranasally delivered Haemophilus haemolyticus is associated with heterologous protection against influenza and nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae

Intranasal vaccines offer a needle-free strategy to enhance immunity to respiratory infections. We investigated the mechanism of action of a novel intranasal vaccine using the human respiratory commensal Haemophilus haemolyticus, previously shown to protect against nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae otitis media and accelerate clearance of influenza A virus.

Citation:
Pepper JS, Granland CM, Clark SL, Thornton RB, Bayliss J, Foo MZE, Billingham W, Scott N, Fulurija A, Strickland DH, Wiertsema SP, Richmond PC, Seppanen EJ, Kirkham LS, Tjiam MC. Mucosal immune cell priming by intranasally delivered Haemophilus haemolyticus is associated with heterologous protection against influenza and nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae. Front Immunol. 2026;17:1855464.

Keywords:
Immune priming; influenza A; intranasal vaccination; lungs; nasal tissue; otitis media

Abstract:
Intranasal vaccines offer a needle-free strategy to enhance immunity to respiratory infections. We investigated the mechanism of action of a novel intranasal vaccine using the human respiratory commensal Haemophilus haemolyticus, previously shown to protect against nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae otitis media and accelerate clearance of influenza A virus.