Disclosed is a novel vaccine against Escherichia coli (E. coli)
responsible for urinary tract infections. The vaccine is a recombinant chimeric
protein which is prepared by linking by genetic recombination a gene encoding an
antigenic determinant of uropathogenic E. coli to a CTXA2B gene encoding
nontoxic A2 and B subunits of Vibrio cholerae cholera toxin (CTX) or a LTXA2B
gene encoding nontoxic A2 and B subunits of E. coli heat-labile enterotoxin,
wherein a translation product of the CTXA2B or LTXA2B gene serves as an immunogenic
adjuvant stimulating mucosal immune responses, expressing the resulting recombinant
gene in E. coli, and isolating and purifying an expressed recombinant fusion
protein. The recombinant chimeric protein is useful as an oral vaccine with mild
side effects and excellent vaccination efficiency against uropathogenic E. coli.
Thus, the chimeric vaccine protein can remarkably reduce recurrence of urinary
tract infections, prevent occurrence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and replace
the conventional chemotherapy for urinary tract infections. Also, the chimeric
vaccine protein has other advantages of being capable of being produced and commercialized
in a short period with relatively low costs, and being easily modified by replacing
its genetic constituents with other genes to provide various vaccines.