title: Protease activation mutants elicit protective immunity against highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses of subtype H7 in chickens and mice.
abstract: Protease activation mutants of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus A/FPV/Rostock/34 (H7N1) have been generated that are fully dependent on the presence of trypsin for growth in cell culture. Unlike wild-type virus, the mutants do not induce systemic infection in chicken embryos and show low pathogenicity in both chicken embryos and adult chickens. Inactivated vaccines prepared from the mutants protected chickens and mice very efficiently against infection with highly pathogenic wild-type virus in a cross-reactive manner. The potential of these mutants to be used as veterinary and prepandemic vaccines will be discussed.
authors.affiliation: Section Viral Vaccines, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut , 63225 Langen, Germany.
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.affiliation: Institute for Virology, Philipps-University Marburg , 35043 Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Gülsah
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gabriel
authors.affiliation: Institute for Virology, Philipps-University Marburg , 35043 Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schlesner
authors.affiliation: Section Viral Vaccines, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut , 63225 Langen, Germany.
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Alex
authors.affiliation: Institute for Virology, Philipps-University Marburg , 35043 Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Astrid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Herwig
authors.affiliation: Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute , Greifswald-Insel Riems, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
authors.forename: Ortrud
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Werner
authors.affiliation: Institute for Virology, Philipps-University Marburg , 35043 Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Hans-Dieter
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Klenk
keywords: influenza virus; pathogenicity; protection; proteolytic activation; vaccine