title: Inactivated and adjuvanted vaccine for the control of the African horse sickness virus serotype 9 infection: evaluation of efficacy in horses and guinea-pig model.
abstract: African horse sickness (AHS) is a non-contagious viral disease of solipeds transmitted by Culicoides. The disease is endemic in most African countries. Past experience has shown that Italy is a country exposed to emerging infectious diseases endemic to Africa; an incursion of AHS virus together with the widespread presence of Culicoides vectors could be the cause of a serious epidemic emergency. A live attenuated vaccine containing seven of the nine viral serotypes, serotype 5 and 9 are excluded, is commercially available from Onderstepoort Biological Products. However, the use of live vaccines is a matter of endless disputes, and therefore inactivated or recombinant alternative products have been investigated over the years. Since research on AHS is hampered by the use of horses to evaluate vaccine potency, in a previous experiment serological response to serotypes 5 and 9 was assayed in guinea-pigs and horses. A durable and comparable serological response was observed in the two animal species. In the present study antibody response in horses and guinea-pigs, immunised with the inactivated-adjuvanted vaccine formulated with serotype 9, was tested over a period of 12 months. When immunity was challenged, horses were protected from infection and disease. Antibody response in horses and guinea-pigs compared favourably.
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia A. Mirri, Via Gino Marinuzzi, 3, 90129 Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Rossella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lelli
authors.forename: Umberto
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Molini
authors.forename: Gaetano Federico
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Ronchi
authors.forename: Emanuela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Franchi
authors.forename: Simonetta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ulisse
authors.forename: Gisella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Armillotta
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Capista
authors.forename: Siegfried
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Khaiseb
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Di Ventura
authors.forename: Attilio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pini
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000355:African Horse Sickness / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000356:African Horse Sickness Virus / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006736:Horses; D023421:Models, Animal; D012703:Serotyping; D014613:Vaccines, Attenuated / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015164:Vaccines, Inactivated / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D014613:Vaccines, Attenuated; D015164:Vaccines, Inactivated; D014765:Viral Vaccines
keywords: African horse sickness; Antibody response; Challenge; Guinea-pig; Inactivated vaccine; Namibia; Serotype 9