Viruses, Vol. 15, Pages 184: Multi-Influenza HA Subtype Protection of Ferrets Vaccinated with an N1 COBRA-Based Neuraminidase

Viruses, Vol. 15, Pages 184: Multi-Influenza HA Subtype Protection of Ferrets Vaccinated with an N1 COBRA-Based Neuraminidase Viruses doi: 10.3390/v15010184 Authors: Amanda L. Skarlupka Xiaojian Zhang Uriel Blas-Machado Spencer F. Sumner Ted M. Ross The influenza neuraminidase (NA) is a promising target for next-generation vaccines. Protection induced by vaccination with the computationally optimized broadly reactive NA antigen (N1-I COBRA NA) was characterized in both influenza serologically naive and pre-immune ferret models following H1N1 (A/California/07/2009, CA/09) or H5N1 (A/Vietnam/1203/2004, Viet/04) influenza challenges. The N1-I COBRA NA vaccine elicited antibodies with neutralizing ELLA activity against both seasonal and pandemic H1N1 influenza, as well as the H5N1 influenza virus. In both models, N1-I COBRA NA-vaccinated ferrets that were challenged with CA/09 virus had similar morbidity (weight loss and clinical symptoms) as ferrets vaccinated with the CA/09 HA control vaccine. There were significantly reduced viral titers compared to the mock-vaccinated control animals. Ferrets vaccinated with N1-I COBRA NA or Viet/04 NA vaccines were protected against the H5N1 virus infection with minimal clinical symptoms and negligible weight loss. In contrast, ferrets vaccinated with the CA/09 NA vaccine lost ~10% of their original body weight with 25% mortality. Vaccination with either HA or NA vaccines did not inhibit contact transmission of CA/09 virus to...
Source: Viruses - Category: Virology Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research