title: Efficacy of killed virus vaccine, live attenuated chimeric virus vaccine, and passive immunization for prevention of West Nile virus encephalitis in hamster model.
abstract: Results of experiments evaluating the efficacy of three immunization strategies for the prevention of West Nile virus (WNV) encephalitis are reported. Immunization strategies evaluated included a killed virus veterinary vaccine, a live attenuated chimeric virus vaccine candidate, and passive immunization with WNV-immune serum; all were tested by using a hamster model of the disease. Each product protected the animals from clinical illness and death when challenged with a hamster-virulent éwild-type WNV strain 1 month after initial immunization. The live attenuated chimeric virus vaccine candidate induced the highest humoral antibody responses, as measured by hemagglutination inhibition, complement fixation, and plaque reduction neutralization tests. Although the duration of protective immunity was not determined in this study, our preliminary results and the cumulative experience of other virus vaccines suggest that the live attenuated chimeric virus provides the longest lasting immunity.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston 77555, USA. rtesh@utmb.edu
authors.forename: Robert B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Tesh
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Arroyo
authors.forename: Amelia P A
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Travassos Da Rosa
authors.forename: Hilda
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Guzman
authors.forename: Shu-Yuan
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Thomas P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Monath
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006224:Cricetinae; D005260:Female; D007116:Immunization, Passive / Q000379:methods; D008954:Models, Biological; D014765:Viral Vaccines; D014901:West Nile Fever / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D053060:West Nile Virus Vaccines; D014902:West Nile virus / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; C445780:ChimeriVax; D014765:Viral Vaccines; D053060:West Nile Virus Vaccines