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Evaluation of Zika Virus-specific T-cell Responses in Immunoprivileged Organs of Infected Ifnar1-/- Mice
Published on: October 17, 2018
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Preventative Vaccines for Zika Virus Outbreak: Preliminary Evaluation
Eun Kim1, Geza Erdos2, Shaohua Huang1
1Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
Ebiomedicine
|October 9, 2016
Summary
Developing Zika vaccines using the E antigen shows promise. Adenoviral-based vaccines fully protected pups from lethal Zika virus challenge, while microneedle-delivered subunit vaccines offered partial protection.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Immunology
- Vaccinology
Background:
- Zika virus (ZIKV) emerged in Brazil in 2015, causing global health concerns.
- ZIKV is linked to microcephaly and neurological disorders like Guillain-Barré syndrome.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate prototype subunit and adenoviral-based Zika vaccines.
- To assess the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of novel ZIKV vaccine candidates.
Main Methods:
- Developed subunit (ZIKV-rEfl) and adenoviral-based (Ad5.ZIKV-Efl) vaccines encoding the ZIKV E gene fused to a trimerization domain.
- Administered vaccines via microneedle array (MNA) or adenoviral vector in C57BL/6 mice.
- Assessed neutralizing antibody responses and protection in neonatal pups challenged with virulent ZIKV.
Main Results:
- Both vaccine types induced ZIKV-specific antibody responses and neutralizing immunity.
- Ad5.ZIKV-Efl immunization conferred complete protection in pups against lethal ZIKV challenge.
- MNA-ZIKV-rEfl immunization provided 50% protection in pups; control groups showed no protection.
Conclusions:
- The study demonstrates preliminary efficacy of ZIKV E antigen vaccination.
- Adenoviral-based and microneedle-delivered subunit vaccines are promising candidates for Zika virus prevention.
