Tailor-made cleavage site attenuates influenza B.
Influenza B viruses contribute significantly to human influenza. The circulation of two antigenically divergent lineages of this virus can reduce the efficacy of licensed influenza vaccines. A novel live-attenuated influenza B vaccine candidate has been generated by creating a virus that strictly requires elastase activity for the accurate proteolytic maturation of its hemagglutinin. This mutant influenza B virus grows to high titers in vitro and is strongly attenuated in mice, yet it induces a robust protective immune response in this host. The findings on this tamed influenza B virus and its potential prospects are discussed.
Department for Molecular Biomedical Research, VIB, 9000 Ghent, Belgium. xavier.saelens@dmbr.vib-ugent.be
Xavier
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Saelens