Patent ID: 7384639

Claim:
A method of immunizing a mammalian subject against a Gram negative bacterium that produces an autoinducer comprising administering to the subject an amount of an immunogenic conjugate which comprises an immunogenic carrier molecule covalently conjugated to said autoinducer of said Gram negative bacterium, wherein said autoinducer has the formula: where X is O, S, N—(C 1 -C 6 ) alkyl, NR 2 , N-phenyl; Y is C 1 -C 6 straight or branched alkyl, C 1 -C 6 straight or branched alkenyl, C 1 -C 6 straight or branched alkynyl; Z is C═O, C═S, CHOH, C═N—NR 1 , C═N—OH, C 1 -C 8 straight or branched alkyl, C 1 -C 8 straight or branched alkenyl, C 1 -C 8 straight or branched alkynyl; L is C 1 -C 18 straight or branched alkyl, C 1 -C 18 straight or branched alkenyl, C 1 -C 18 straight branched alkynyl, or —CO 2 H, —CO 2 R 1 , —CHO, —C≡N, —N═C═O, —N═C═S, OH, OR 1 , —CH═CH—CH 2 Br, —CH═CH—CH 2 Cl, —SAc or SH, where R 1 is C 1 -C 6 straight or branched alkyl, m is 0 or 1; z is 0 or 1; R 2 is H, C 1 -C 6 straight or branched alkyl, C 1 -C 6 straight or branched alkenyl or C 1 -C 6 straight or branched alkynyl, or CO 2 H; and Q is CH or N; and n is 0-3 with the proviso that when n is 0, X is N—(C 1 -C 6 alkyl) or N-phenyl, in which said amount is effective to immunize the subject against said Gram negative bacterium.