title: Antibodies to ovine herpesvirus 2 glycoproteins decrease virus infectivity and prevent malignant catarrhal fever in rabbits.
abstract: Ovine herpesvirus-2 (OvHV-2) is the etiological agent of sheep-associated malignant catarrhal fever (SA-MCF), a fatal lymphoproliferative disease of many species in the order Artiodactyla. Development of a vaccine is critical to prevent mortality. Because OvHV-2 has not been cultured in vitro, SA-MCF research is hindered by the lack of in vitro tools to study viral constituents and specific host immune responses. As an alternative, in this study the neutralizing activity of antibodies against OvHV-2 glycoproteins gB and gH/gL was evaluated in vivo using rabbits. OvHV-2-specific antibodies were developed in rabbits by immunization using biolistic delivery of plasmids expressing the genes of interest. A lethal dose of OvHV-2 was incubated with the antisera and then nebulized into rabbits. Virus neutralization was assessed by measuring infection parameters associated with the virus infectious dose. Anti-gB or anti-gH/gL antibodies alone blocked infection in five out of six rabbits (83%), while a combination of anti-gB and anti-gH/gL antibodies protected all six rabbits (100%) from infection. These results indicate that antibodies to OvHV-2 gB and gH/gL are capable of neutralizing virions, and consequently, reduce virus infectivity and prevent SA-MCF in rabbits. Thus, OvHV-2 gB and gH/gL are suitable targets to be tested in a SA-MCF vaccine aimed at stimulating neutralizing antibody responses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-7040, USA. Electronic address: cwcunha@vetmed.wsu.edu.
authors.forename: Cristina W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Cunha
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-7040, USA; Animal Disease Research Unit, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-6630, USA.
authors.forename: Donald P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Knowles
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-7040, USA; Animal Disease Research Unit, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-6630, USA.
authors.forename: Naomi S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Taus
authors.affiliation: Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82070-6752, USA.
authors.forename: Donal
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: O'Toole
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-7040, USA.
authors.forename: Anthony V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Nicola
authors.affiliation: Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-7040, USA.
authors.forename: Hector C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Aguilar
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-7040, USA; Animal Disease Research Unit, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-6630, USA.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing / Q000097:blood*; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D002417:Cattle; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000276:immunology*; D006564:Herpesviridae; D008304:Malignant Catarrh / Q000821:virology*; D011817:Rabbits / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D012756:Sheep
chemical_list: D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D006023:Glycoproteins
keywords: Antibody blocking; Herpesvirus; MCF; OvHV-2; gB; gH/gL