The present invention is directed to methods and agents used for treating cancer in Toll-Like Receptor 5-expressing tissues by providing a Toll-Like Receptor agonist such as flagellin. The present invention also relates to protecting the liver from a liver toxicity using a Toll-like receptor agonist.

Antigenic molecules and compositions described herein protect against infection by typhoidal and non-typhoidal Salmonella serovars. Methods of immunization comprise the use of the antigenic molecules.

Provided are delivery immunostimulatory bacteria that have enhanced colonization of tumors, the tumor microenvironment and/or tumor-resident immune cells, and enhanced anti-tumor activity. The immunostimulatory bacteria are modified by deletion of genes encoding the flagella, or by modification of the genes so that functional flagella are not produced, and/or are modified by deletion of pagP or modification of pagP to produce inactive PagP product. As a result, the immunostimulatory bacteria are flagellin.sup.− and/or pagP.sup.−. The immunostimulatory bacteria optionally have additional genomic modifications so that the bacteria are adenosine or purine auxotrophs. The bacteria optionally are one or more of asd.sup.−, purI.sup.−, and msbB.sup.−. The immunostimulatory bacteria, such as Salmonella species, are modified to encode immunostimulatory proteins that confer anti-tumor activity in the tumor microenvironment, and/or are modified so that the bacteria preferentially infect immune cells in the tumor microenvironment, or tumor-resident immune cells, and/or are modified to induce less cell death in immune cells than in other cells. Also provided are methods of inhibiting the growth or reducing the volume of a solid tumor by administering the immunostimulatory bacteria.

The present invention provides compositions and methods of inducing an immune response in a subject in need thereof, comprising administering to the subject an immunologically-effective amount of a live Salmonella typhi vector, wherein the Salmonella typhi vector has been engineered to express one or more antigens; an outer membrane folding protein Barn A or a fragment or variant thereof; and a lipid A deacylase PagL or a fragment or variant thereof, wherein the Salmonella typhi vector is capable of delivering the antigen to a mucosal tissue via an outer membrane vesicle when administered to a subject.

The present disclosure describes a self-sprayer device for self-administering an animal product to an animal and providing environmental enrichment to the animal.

An immunogenic gel compositions for oral administration and methods of immunizing an animal the methods including administering to the animal a therapeutically effective amount of an immunogenic gel composition comprising an antigen of an animal pathogen and a gel composition for oral administration.

Antigenic molecules and compositions described herein protect against infection by typhoidal and non-typhoidal Salmonella serovars. Methods of immunization comprise the use of the antigenic molecules.

The invention is based on the discovery of the epitope in the Stx2 protein for the 11 E1O antibody. The invention features compositions containing non-full length Stx2 polypeptides that include the 11 E1O monoclonal antibody epitope. The invention also features methods of producing anti-Stx2 antibodies specific for the 11 E1O epitope of the Stx2 protein. Additionally, the invention features methods for treating a subject having, or at risk of developing, a Shiga toxin associated disease (e.g., hemolytic uremia syndrome and diseases associated with E. coli and S. dysenteriae infection) with a polypeptide that includes the 11 E1O epitope or with an anti-Stx2 antibody developed using the methods of the invention. Furthermore, the invention features the detection of Stx2 in a sample using the antibodies developed using the methods of the invention.

In certain embodiments, a recombinant attenuated derivative of a pathogenic Salmonella enterica serovar typhi cell is provided, (a) wherein one or more genes encoding subunits of a stg operon (Salmonella typhi Δstg) are inactivated or deleted resulting in a decrease of Stg adhesin/fimbriae production as compared to genes encoding a wild-type Stg operon (stgABCC′D), and/or (b) the cell comprises a nucleic acid encoding at least one of a gene encoding a subunit of a long polar fimbriae (Lpf) of S. enterica serovar Typhimurium protein. In certain embodiments, vaccines and compositions, and methods of use of the recombinant attenuated derivative of a pathogenic Salmonella enterica serovar typhi cell are provided.

A recombinant Flagrp170 protein and pharmaceutical compositions comprising a Flagrp170 protein and related molecules encoding same, and cells presenting such a protein are provided. The Flagrp170 protein comprises an NF-.sub.KB-activating domain of Flagellin and an ATP-binding domain truncated Grp170. The pharmaceutical compositions of the invention can be used for the treatment or prevention of cancer or infectious disease.