Potential of selected lactic acid bacteria as immune stimulants and/or vaccine adjuvants

The health-promoting effect of lactic acid bacteria is partly based on their interaction with the immune system. Although probiotics are by definition live microorganisms, there is evidence that dead bacterial cells can stimulate a similar immune response as live organisms. In the course of this project, we will investigate the inactivation of lactic acid bacteria as basis for further studies about their use as immune modulators or vaccine adjuvants.