title: Role of vaccination-induced immunity and antigenic distance in the transmission dynamics of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1.
abstract: Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 epidemics in poultry cause huge economic losses as well as sporadic human morbidity and mortality. Vaccination in poultry has often been reported as being ineffective in preventing transmission and as a potential driving force in the selection of immune escape mutants. We conducted transmission experiments to evaluate the transmission dynamics of HPAI H5N1 strains in chickens vaccinated with high and low doses of immune escape mutants we have previously selected, and analysed the data using mathematical models. Remarkably, we demonstrate that the effect of antigenic distances between the vaccine and challenge strains used in this study is too small to influence the transmission dynamics of the strains used. This is because the effect of a sufficient vaccine dose on antibody levels against the challenge viruses is large enough to compensate for any decrease in antibody titres due to antigenic differences between vaccine and challenge strains. Our results show that at least under experimental conditions, vaccination will remain effective even after antigenic changes as may be caused by the initial selection in vaccinated birds.
authors.affiliation: Quantitative Veterinary Epidemiology, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University, Radix Building 107, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, Wageningen 6708 PB, The Netherlands Department of Virology, Central Veterinary Institute of Wageningen University and Research Centre, Houtribweg 39, Lelystad 8221 RA, The Netherlands ioannis.sitaras@wur.nl.
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0161-8024
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sitaras
authors.affiliation: Quantitative Veterinary Epidemiology, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University, Radix Building 107, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, Wageningen 6708 PB, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Xanthoula
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Rousou
authors.affiliation: Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Löffler Institut, Südufer 10, Greifswald-Insel Riems 17493, Germany.
authors.forename: Donata
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kalthoff
authors.affiliation: Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Löffler Institut, Südufer 10, Greifswald-Insel Riems 17493, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beer
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Central Veterinary Institute of Wageningen University and Research Centre, Houtribweg 39, Lelystad 8221 RA, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ben
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3575-0680
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Peeters
authors.affiliation: Quantitative Veterinary Epidemiology, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University, Radix Building 107, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, Wageningen 6708 PB, The Netherlands mart.dejong@wur.nl.
authors.forename: Mart C M
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5339-1995
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: de Jong
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D002645:Chickens / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D053124:Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D005585:Influenza in Birds / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission; D014611:Vaccination
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral
keywords: H5N1; antigenic distance; highly pathogenic avian influenza; transmission; vaccine dose