rOmpF and OMVs as efficient subunit vaccines against Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis infections in poultry farms

•rOmpF produced higher protective efficacy than rOmpC in chickens.•QuilA and OMVs were proved to be better adjuvants than the others used in rOmpF.•rOmpF plus QuilA or OMVs alone induced strong cellular immune response in spleen.•The developed subunit vaccines could clear S. Enteritidis rapidly in chicken tissues. Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis remains the most prevalent serotype causing human salmonellosis through the consumption of contaminated foods, especially poultry products. The development of a subunit vaccine against S. Enteritidis can not only protect chickens against Salmonella infection in the poultry industry but also cut the transmission sources. In this study, both the expressed recombinant outer membrane protein F (rOmpF) and extracted outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) were developed as subunit vaccines against S. Enteritidis challenge in chickens. Immunization with the subunit vaccine could induce not only antibody production but also strong cell-mediated immune response. Both rOmpF plus QuilA adjuvant and OMVs alone had highly protective efficacy against S. Enteritidis challenge and rapidly decreased the colonization of bacteria in chicken. These findings revealed the potential application of rOmpF and OMVs as subunit vaccines in the poultry industry.