The immunostimulatory characteristics and intracellular niche of Listeria monocytogenes make it uniquely suitable for use as a live bacterial vaccine vector. Preclinical results supporting this idea, and current strategies to induce beneficial cell-mediated immunity to both infectious diseases and cancer with this vector, are discussed in this review.
Department of Medicine, Division of Dermatology, Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor/UCLA Medical Center, 1124 W. Carson St., Torrance, CA 90502, USA. kbruhn@ucla.edu
