The present invention relates to a method for preparing a vaccine antigen, which includes a step of fragmenting a biological membrane associated with said vaccine antigen by treating said biological membrane with at least one calixarene of formula (II): wherein: X is a -(CH2)-CO2Y group and Y is an alkaline metal or one of the pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, wherein said resulting vaccine antigen also includes a fragment of the biological membrane associated with said antigen. The present invention also relates to a vaccine that can be produced by implementing the method, including a calixarene of formula (II) in carrier format, with a quantity of 0.1 to 1,000 μg in the total weight of the vaccine. The present invention further relates to the use of a calixarene as defined above for the preparation of a vaccine or a vaccine antigen, and to the vaccine for use as a drug in the treatment or prevention of an infectious disease.
