Vaccination of Cotton Rats with a Chimeric FG Glycoprotein of Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus Induces Minimal Pulmonary Pathology on Challenge

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases Vol. 163; no. 3; pp. 477 - 482
• Main Authors: Wathen, Michael W., Kakuk, Thomas J., Brideau, Roger J., Hausknecht, Edward C., Cole, Serena L., Zaya, Renee M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, IL University Chicago Press 01.03.1991; University of Chicago Press
• Subjects: Animals; Antigens; Biological and medical sciences; Disease Models, Animal; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Glycoproteins; Glycoproteins - immunology; Human respiratory syncytial virus; Lungs; Major Articles; Microbiology; Pathology; Pneumonia; Pneumonia, Viral - immunology; Pneumonia, Viral - pathology; Rats; Recombinant Proteins - immunology; Respiratory syncytial virus vaccines; Respiratory Syncytial Viruses - immunology; Respirovirus Infections - immunology; Sigmodontinae; Time Factors; Vaccination; Vaccines, antisera, therapeutical immunoglobulins and monoclonal antibodies; Vaccines, Synthetic - immunology; Viral Proteins - immunology; Viral Vaccines - immunology; Virology; Viruses; Rat; Respiratory disease; Lung; Vaccination; Rodentia; Molecular hybrid; Glycoproteins; Paramyxoviridae; Virus; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Respiratory syncytial virus; Animal; Pneumovirus; Comparative study
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1093/infdis/163.3.477

The cotton rat modelof human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infectionwasused to study the safety and efficacy of a chimeric FG glycoprotein that was expressed in insect cells using a baculovirus vector. Histologic and virologic examinationof vaccinatedrat lungs wasdoneafter challenge with RSV. When rats were challenged 1 month after vaccination, severe pulmonary inflammation characterized by both a mononuclear and polymorphonuclear cell infiltrate and 30%–40% involvement of lung tissue was observed with a formalin-inactivated RSV vaccine. The FG glycoprotein induced minimal lung inflammation(involving 2%–5% ofthe lung), while negative controls had 1%–3% lung involvement. Two doses with as little as 20 ng of FG glycoprotein formulated in an aluminum hydroxide adjuvant completely protected the cotton rats from RSV challenge.Thus the chimeric FG glycoprotein is highly immunogenic and induces minimal pulmonary inflammation in the cotton rat model.