Virus-like particle vaccine containing hemagglutinin confers protection against 2009 H1N1 pandemic influenza.
Immunization of the world population before an influenza pandemic such as the 2009 H1N1 virus spreads globally is not possible with current vaccine production platforms. New influenza vaccine technologies, such as virus-like-particles (VLPs), offer a promising alternative. Here, we tested the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a VLP vaccine containing hemagglutinin (HA) and M1 from the 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus (H1N1pdm) in ferrets and compared intramuscular (i.m.) and intranasal (i.n.) routes of immunization. Vaccination of ferrets with VLPs containing the M1 and HA proteins from A/California/04/2009 (H1N1pdm) induced high antibody titers and conferred significant protection against virus challenge. VLP-vaccinated animals lost less weight, shed less virus in nasal washes, and had markedly lower virus titers in all organs tested than naïve controls. A single dose of VLPs, either i.m. or i.n., induced higher levels of antibody than did two doses of commercial split vaccine. Ferrets vaccinated with split vaccine were incompletely protected against challenge; these animals had lower virus titers in olfactory bulbs, tonsils, and intestines, but lost weight and shed virus in nasal washes to a similar extent as naïve controls. Challenge with heterologous A/Brisbane/59/07 (H1N1) virus revealed that the VLPs conferred minimal cross-protection to heterologous infection, as revealed by the lack of reduction in nasal wash and lung virus titers and slightly higher weight loss relative to controls. In summary, these experiments demonstrate the strong immunogenicity and protective efficacy of VLPs compared to the split vaccine and show that i.n. vaccination with VLPs has the potential for highly efficacious vaccination against influenza.
Influenza Division, Mailstop G-16, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA.
M Jaber
MJ
Hossain
Melissa
M
Bourgeois
Fu-Shi
FS
Quan
Aleksandr S
AS
Lipatov
Jae-Min
JM
Song
Li-Mei
LM
Chen
Richard W
RW
Compans
Ian
I
York
Sang-Moo
SM
Kang
Ruben O
RO
Donis
D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000825:Animal Structures / Q000821:virology; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D001835:Body Weight; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005289:Ferrets; D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D053118:Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular; D009976:Orthomyxoviridae Infections / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D014611:Vaccination / Q000379:methods; D022721:Vaccines, Virosome / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D019562:Viral Load; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D017201:Virus Shedding
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus; D007252:Influenza Vaccines; C488936:M1 protein, Influenza A virus; D022721:Vaccines, Virosome; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins