Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 20, 2025
10:25
Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibodies using High-Throughput Fluorescent Imaging of Pseudovirus Infection
Published on: June 5, 2021
4.8K
Evaluating Neutralizing Antibodies in Hantavirus-Infected Patients Using Authentic Virus and Recombinant Vesicular
Punya Shrivastava-Ranjan1, Jamie A Kelly1, Laura K McMullan1
1Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
Viruses
|May 28, 2025
Summary
Researchers developed a safer, recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) system for studying hantaviruses like Sin Nombre virus (SNV) and Andes virus (ANDV). This VSV-based tool accurately measures neutralizing antibodies, aiding hantavirus research and therapeutic development.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Immunology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Hantaviruses, such as Sin Nombre virus (SNV) and Andes virus (ANDV), pose significant global health threats, leading to severe hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) with high mortality.
- Neutralizing antibodies are crucial for viral clearance and patient survival, highlighting the importance of accurate neutralization assays for assessing immunity and guiding therapeutic interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a safe and effective surrogate system for studying hantavirus neutralization under BSL-2 conditions.
- To validate a recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)-based system for quantifying neutralizing antibodies against SNV and ANDV.
Main Methods:
- A recombinant VSV system was engineered to express the glycoproteins (GPCs) of SNV and ANDV.
- Neutralization assays were performed using the VSV-based surrogate system under biosafety level 2 (BSL-2) conditions.
- Results were compared with neutralization data obtained from authentic hantavirus assays conducted under biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) conditions.
Main Results:
- The VSV-based surrogate system successfully enabled neutralization studies for SNV and ANDV under BSL-2 conditions.
- Neutralization titers derived from the VSV system demonstrated strong correlation with those obtained from authentic hantavirus assays (BSL-3).
Conclusions:
- The developed VSV-based surrogate system is a valuable and safe tool for assessing hantavirus-specific neutralizing antibody responses.
- This system facilitates advanced research into hantavirus immunity and the evaluation of potential therapeutic strategies, overcoming BSL-3 limitations.
