We have previously shown that intranasal immunization of mice with meningococcal native outer membrane vesicles (NOMV) induces both a good local mucosal antibody response and a good systemic bactericidal antibody response. However, in the intranasal mouse model, some of the NOMV entered the lung and caused an acute granulocytic response. We therefore developed an alternate animal model using the rabbit. This model reduces the probability of lung involvement and more closely mimics intranasal immunization of humans. Rabbits immunized intranasally with doses of 100 g of NOMV in 0.5 ml of saline developed serum bactericidal antibody levels comparable to those of rabbits immunized intramuscularly with 25-g doses, particularly when the primary intranasal immunization was given daily for 3 days. Intranasal immunization also induced a local mucosal response as evidenced by immunoglobulin A antibody in saliva, nasal washes, and lung lavage fluids. NOMV from a capsule-deficient mutant induced higher serum bactericidal antibody responses than NOMV from the encapsulated parent. Meningococcal NOMV could be administered intranasally at 400 g with no pyrogenic activity, but as little as 0.03 g/kg of body weight administered intravenously or 25 g administered intramuscularly induced a pyrogenic response. These data indicate that the rabbit is a useful model for preclinical testing of intranasal meningococcal NOMV vaccines, and this immunization regimen produces a safe and substantial systemic and local mucosal antibody response.Efforts to produce an efficacious vaccine against serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis have met with only moderate success. Efficacy studies with outer membrane protein-based vaccines have demonstrated efficacy in the range of 50 to 80% (3,4,10,23). Those vaccines which have undergone recent phase 3 testing might be improved by two potential modifications. First, induction of a local mucosal response to supplement the systemic response may lead to more effective immunization against this organism. Intranasal (i.n.) immunization would be a direct approach to stimulating a mucosal response, since the human nasopharyngeal region is the natural habitat for meningococci, and it is believed that nasopharyngeal carriage leads to natural immunization (14). Secondly, a more effective serum bactericidal antibody response might be stimulated if the proteins were in a more native conformation, without any detergent treatment or extraction of lipooligosaccharide (LOS).In a large efficacy trial conducted in Iquique, Chile, strong anti-outer membrane protein (anti-OMP) antibody responses in young children, as measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), did not correlate with protection or with levels of serum bactericidal activity (4). The vaccine consisted of noncovalent complexes of purified outer membrane proteins (less than 1% LOS) and group C capsular polysaccharide. The relatively low bactericidal antibody response obtained from the volunteers was probably due in part to altered protein conformation and...