The invention features incapacitated whole cell bacterial immunogeniccompositions produced by infecting a bacterium with Lys minus bacteriophage,which are deficient in the lysin protein. Lys minus bacteriophage retainactivity in infection of its appropriate bacterial host, destruction of thebacterial genome, and replication, which are sufficient to inhibit bacterialgrowth and replication. The resulting, Lys minus-infected bacterium isprovided in a state of bacteriostasis, and is not capable of replicatingfurther (e.g., is "incapacitated"). The incapacitated bacterium can then beused as to elicit an immune response for prophylactic and/or therapeuticpurposes. The invention thus also features incapacitated bacteria formulatedappropriately for use in immunogenic compositions for eliciting an immuneresponse, e.g., for production of antibodies in a non-human host or in a wholecell bacterial vaccine.
