Determination of the duration of a primary immune response and the ID₅₀ of ALA rabbit rotavirus in rabbits

• Published in: Archives of virology Vol. 142; no. 11; pp. 2281 - 2294
• Main Authors: Conner, M. E, Graham, D. Y, Estes, M. K
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wien Springer-Verlag 01.01.1997; New York, NY Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies, Viral - immunology; Biological and medical sciences; Diarrhea; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; immune response; Immunity, Mucosal; inoculum; Medical research; Microbiology; Rabbits; Rotavirus; Rotavirus - immunology; Rotavirus - pathogenicity; Rotavirus Infections - immunology; Rotavirus Infections - virology; Time Factors; tissue culture; vaccine development; Vaccines; Vaccines, antisera, therapeutical immunoglobulins and monoclonal antibodies; Virology; Viruses; Animal model; Immune response; Rotavirus; Gastroenteritis; Rabbit; Lagomorpha; Reoviridae; Infection; Virus; Vertebrata; Local immunity; Mammalia; Viral disease; Digestive diseases; Intestinal disease; Veterinary; Humoral immunity; Gastric disease
• ISSN: 0304-8608; 1432-8798
• DOI: 10.1007/s007050050242

The rabbit model of rotavirus infection has been used to examine the immune response to rotavirus infection and to evaluate strategies for rotavirus vaccine development. To determine the 50% infectious does (ID₅₀) of tissue culture adapted ALA virus, rabbits were orally inoculated with 10¹–10³ PFU of ALA rotavirus. The ID₅₀ of ALA virus was determined to be 1.7×10² PFU. The immune response induced in rabbits infected at low virus doses (10²–10³ PFU) was of similar magnitude to the immune responses induced with a high dose (10⁶ PFU) inoculum, indicating that the immune response to ALA rotavirus in rabbits is not dose dependent. To determine if a single rotavirus inoculation would induce a long lasting immune response, four rabbits were inoculated once with ALA virus (3.5 × 10⁵ PFU) and their serologic and mucosal antirotavirus titers were monitored at intervals for 1.5–2 years. The infected rabbits maintained serologic and mucosal rotavirus antibody titers until the final time point more than 700 days post inoculation. These data are important because they indicate that the antigenic load achieved following a single oral inoculation is sufficient to achieve long lasting immunity, the goal of any potential vaccine.