[Research Article] Protective efficacy of multiple vaccine platforms against Zika virus challenge in rhesus monkeys

Zika virus (ZIKV) is responsible for a major ongoing epidemic in the Americas and has been causally associated with fetal microcephaly. The development of a safe and effective ZIKV vaccine is therefore an urgent global health priority. Here we demonstrate that three different vaccine platforms protect against ZIKV challenge in rhesus monkeys. A purified inactivated virus vaccine induced ZIKV-specific neutralizing antibodies and completely protected monkeys against ZIKV strains from both Brazil and Puerto Rico. Purified immunoglobulin from vaccinated monkeys also conferred passive protection in adoptive transfer studies. A plasmid DNA vaccine and a single-shot recombinant rhesus adenovirus serotype 52 vector vaccine, both expressing ZIKV premembrane and envelope, also elicited neutralizing antibodies and completely protected monkeys against ZIKV challenge. These data support the rapid clinical development of ZIKV vaccines for humans. Authors: Peter Abbink, Rafael A. Larocca, Rafael A. De La Barrera, Christine A. Bricault, Edward T. Moseley, Michael Boyd, Marinela Kirilova, Zhenfeng Li, David Ng’ang’a, Ovini Nanayakkara, Ramya Nityanandam, Noe B. Mercado, Erica N. Borducchi, Arshi Agarwal, Amanda L. Brinkman, Crystal Cabral, Abishek Chandrashekar, Patricia B. Giglio, David Jetton, Jessica Jimenez, Benjamin C. Lee, Shanell Mojta, Katherine Molloy, Mayuri Shetty, George H. Neubauer, Kathryn E. Stephenson, Jean Pierre S. Peron, Paolo M. de A. Zanotto, Johnathan Misamore, Brad ...
Source: ScienceNOW - Category: Science Authors: Source Type: news