Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 27, 2025
Intranasal Administration of Recombinant Influenza Vaccines in Chimeric Mouse Models to Study Mucosal Immunity
Published on: June 25, 2015
Adjuvanted subunit intranasal vaccine reduces SARS-CoV-2 onward transmission in hamsters
Yongjun Sui1, Swagata Kar2, Bhavna Chawla2
1Vaccine Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States.
Introduction:
Most COVID-19 vaccine trials have focused on recipient protection, not protection of their contacts, a critical need. As a subunit intranasal COVID-19 vaccine reduced nasopharyngeal virus more than did an intramuscular (IM) vaccine, we hypothesized that this vaccine might reduce onward transmission to others.
Methods:
We vaccinated hamsters with either the IM-administrated licensed mRNA vaccine twice or one dose of mRNA IM followed by adjuvanted subunit intranasal vaccine. 24 hours after SARS-CoV-2 challenge, these animals were housed with naïve recipients in a contactless chamber that allows airborne transmission.
Results:
Onward airborne transmission was profoundly blocked: the donor and recipients of the intranasal vaccine-boosted group had lower oral and lung viral loads (VL), which correlated with mucosal ACE2 inhibition activity. Notably, in this head-to-head comparison of COVID-19 booster vaccines on SARS-CoV-2 onward transmission, we found that statistically significant viral reduction in the lung tissues and oral swabs was observed only in the intranasal S1 nanoparticle vaccine-boosted group, but not in the systemic mRNA vaccine-boosted group, suggesting the superior protection of this intranasal vaccine, which could act as an attractive vaccine booster candidate to complement the current licensed systemic vaccines.
Discussion:
Overall, our study strongly supports the use of the intranasal vaccine as a boost to protect not only the vaccinated person, but also people exposed to the vaccinated person, a key public health goal.
