A Nucleic Acid-Based Orthopoxvirus Vaccine Targeting the Vaccinia Virus L1, A27, B5, and A33 Proteins Protects Rabbits against Lethal Rabbitpox Virus Aerosol Challenge.

In the age of COVID, nucleic acid vaccines have garnered much attention, at least in part, because of the simplicity of construction, production, and flexibility to adjust and adapt to an evolving outbreak. Orthopoxviruses remain a threat on multiple fronts, especially as emerging zoonoses. In response, we developed a DNA vaccine, termed 4pox, that protected nonhuman primates against monkeypox virus (MPXV)-induced severe disease. Here, we examined the protective efficacy of the 4pox DNA vaccine delivered by intramuscular (i.m.) electroporation (EP) in rabbits challenged with aerosolized rabbitpox virus (RPXV), a model that recapitulates the respiratory route of exposure and low dose associated with natural smallpox exposure in humans. We found that 4pox-vaccinated rabbits developed immunogen-specific antibodies, including neutralizing antibodies, and did not develop any clinical disease, indicating protection against aerosolized RPXV. In contrast, unvaccinated animals developed significant signs of disease, including lesions, and were euthanized. These findings demonstrate that an unformulated, nonadjuvanted DNA vaccine delivered i.m. can protect against an aerosol exposure. IMPORTANCE The eradication of smallpox and subsequent cessation of vaccination have left a majority of the population susceptible to variola virus or other emerging poxviruses. This is exemplified by human monkeypox, as evidenced by the increase in reported endemic and imported cases over the past decades. Therefore, a malleable vaccine technology that can be mass produced and does not require complex conditions for distribution and storage is sought. Herein, we show that a DNA vaccine, in the absence of a specialized formulation or adjuvant, can protect against a lethal aerosol insult of rabbitpox virus.

Neobenedenia melleni-specific antibodies are associated with protection after continuous exposure in Mozambique tilapia.

Neobenedenia melleni is a significant monogenean pathogen of fish in aquaculture facilities and public aquaria. Immunity after exposure to live N. melleni is well established, but the mechanisms of immunity remain unclear. In this study, tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) were continuously exposed to N. melleni over a four-month period and assessed for immunity as determined by a reduction in the number of parasites dislodged from the experimental animals during freshwater immersion. Specific mucosal and systemic antibody levels were by determined via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. At 45 days postexposure (DPE), fish displayed high parasite loads and baseline levels of mucosal antibodies. At 102 and 120 DPE parasite loads were significantly decreased, and antibody levels were significantly increased for mucus and plasma samples. The correlation between immunity (reduction in parasite load) and an increased humoral antibody response suggests a key role of antibody in the immune response. This is the first report of immunity against N. melleni that is associated with specific mucosal or systemic antibodies.

A hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) DNA vaccine delivered using a spring-powered jet injector elicits a potent neutralizing antibody response in rabbits and nonhuman primates.

Sin Nombre virus (SNV) and Andes virus (ANDV) cause most of the hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) cases in North and South America, respectively. The chances of a patient surviving HPS are only two in three. Previously, we demonstrated that SNV and ANDV DNA vaccines encoding the virus envelope glycoproteins elicit high-titer neutralizing antibodies in laboratory animals, and (for ANDV) in nonhuman primates (NHPs). In those studies, the vaccines were delivered by gene gun or muscle electroporation. Here, we tested whether a combined SNV/ANDV DNA vaccine (HPS DNA vaccine) could be delivered effectively using a disposable syringe jet injection (DSJI) system (PharmaJet, Inc). PharmaJet intramuscular (IM) and intradermal (ID) needle-free devices are FDA 510(k)-cleared, simple to use, and do not require electricity or pressurized gas. First, we tested the SNV DNA vaccine delivered by PharmaJet IM or ID devices in rabbits and NHPs. Both IM and ID devices produced high-titer anti-SNV neutralizing antibody responses in rabbits and NHPs. However, the ID device required at least two vaccinations in NHP to detect neutralizing antibodies in most animals, whereas all animals vaccinated once with the IM device seroconverted. Because the IM device was more effective in NHP, the Stratis(®) (PharmaJet IM device) was selected for follow-up studies. We evaluated the HPS DNA vaccine delivered using Stratis(®) and found that it produced high-titer anti-SNV and anti-ANDV neutralizing antibodies in rabbits (n=8/group) as measured by a classic plaque reduction neutralization test and a new pseudovirion neutralization assay. We were interested in determining if the differences between DSJI delivery (e.g., high-velocity liquid penetration through tissue) and other methods of vaccine injection, such as needle/syringe, might result in a more immunogenic DNA vaccine. To accomplish this, we compared the HPS DNA vaccine delivered by DSJI versus needle/syringe in NHPs (n=8/group). We found that both the anti-SNV and anti-ANDV neutralizing antibody titers were significantly higher (p-value 0.0115) in the DSJI-vaccinated groups than the needle/syringe group. For example, the anti-SNV and anti-ANDV PRNT50 geometric mean titers (GMTs) were 1,974 and 349 in the DSJI-vaccinated group versus 87 and 42 in the needle/syringe group. These data demonstrate, for the first time, that a spring-powered DSJI device is capable of effectively delivering a DNA vaccine to NHPs. Whether this HPS DNA vaccine, or any DNA vaccine, delivered by spring-powered DSJI will elicit a strong immune response in humans, requires clinical trials.

Behavioral and clinical pathology changes in koi carp (Cyprinus carpio) subjected to anesthesia and surgery with and without intra-operative analgesics.

Fish surgery is becoming increasingly common in laboratory and clinical settings. Behavioral and physiologic consequences of surgical procedures may affect experimental results, so these effects should be defined and, if possible, ameliorated. We document behavioral and clinical pathology changes in koi carp (Cyprinus carpio) undergoing surgery with tricaine methanesulphonate (MS-222) anesthesia, with and without intraoperative administration of the opiate butorphanol (0.4 mg/kg intramuscularly) or the nonsteroidal antiinflammatory analgesic ketoprofen (2 mg/kg intramuscularly). For all fish combined, surgery resulted in reduced activity, lower position in the water column, and decreased feeding intensity at multiple time points after surgery. The butorphanol-treated group was the only one not to experience significant (P < 0.05) alterations from presurgical behaviors. Clinical pathology changes at 48 h after anesthesia and surgery included decreased hematocrit, total solids, phosphorus, total protein, albumin, globulin, potassium, and chloride and increased plasma glucose, aspartate aminotransferase, creatine kinase, and bicarbonate. The only clinical pathology difference between treatment groups was a lower increase in creatine kinase in the ketoprofen-treated group. No adverse effects of butorphanol or ketoprofen at these doses were identified. These results suggest a mild behavioral sparing effect of butorphanol and reduced muscle damage from the antiinflammatory activity of ketoprofen.