[Modern bacterial vaccines]

A well founded vaccination strategy is of crucial importance for controlling communicable diseases. The WHO Enlarged Vaccination Programme of 1976 provides to protect by vaccination all children in the world against six infection diseases - diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, measles, poliomyelitis, and tuberculosis, a sure immunization prophylaxis being possible against them. The perspectives of further development of some classical vaccines as against cholera, typhoid fever, and pertussis are reviewed. Some recent bacterial vaccines are discussed being of special significance for controlling nosocomial infections and for protecting patients in intensive therapy and/or persons with lowered immunological defence. New ways for production of vaccine matters are shown such as capsule polysaccharides, membrane proteins, subcellular fractions, and vaccines with synthetic carrier molecules. Fundamental problems concerning the initiation of vaccination and the demands for an enlarged proof of innocence of vaccines are discussed.