Bioinformatics: how it is being used to identify bacterial vaccine candidates.

Genomic sequencing has provided a tremendous amount of information that can be useful in vaccine target identification. The sheer volume of information available necessitates the use of new research disciplines and techniques. Using bioinformatics, researchers sift through available data to identify appropriate candidates for biological analysis. This review provides an overview of available bioinformatic techniques for vaccine candidate identification and a few examples of how these techniques are being applied to specific bacterial pathogens.