Recombinant bacterial vaccines

► The advantages and disadvantages of recombinant bacterial vaccines are discussed with relevant examples. ► Recombinant subunit vaccines are safer but have a demanding manufacturing process. ► Recombinant whole cell vaccines demonstrate better immunogenicity but represent a regulatory challenge due the safety concerns. ► Recombinant bacterial carriers are being developed for delivery of vaccines toward infectious as well as metabolic diseases. ► New approaches like structural vaccinology are key in vaccine design against antigens that are highly variable.