Long-term trial of protection provided by adenovirus-vectored vaccine expressing the PPRV H protein.

A recombinant, replication-defective, adenovirus-vectored vaccine expressing the H surface glycoprotein of peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) has previously been shown to protect goats from challenge with wild-type PPRV at up to 4 months post vaccination. Here, we present the results of a longer-term trial of the protection provided by such a vaccine, challenging animals at 6, 9, 12 and 15 months post vaccination. Vaccinated animals developed high levels of anti-PPRV H protein antibodies, which were virus-neutralising, and the level of these antibodies was maintained for the duration of the trial. The vaccinated animals were largely protected against overt clinical disease from the challenge virus. Although viral genome was intermittently detected in blood samples, nasal and/or ocular swabs of vaccinated goats post challenge, viral RNA levels were significantly lower compared to unvaccinated control animals and vaccinated goats did not appear to excrete live virus. This protection, like the antibody response, was maintained at the same level for at least 15 months after vaccination. In addition, we showed that animals that have been vaccinated with the adenovirus-based vaccine can be revaccinated with the same vaccine after 12 months and showed an increased anti-PPRV antibody response after this boost vaccination. Such vaccines, which provide a DIVA capability, would therefore be suitable for use when the current live attenuated PPRV vaccines are withdrawn at the end of the ongoing global PPR eradication campaign.

Generation and Characterisation of Monoclonal Antibodies against Nairobi Sheep Disease Virus Nucleoprotein.

Nairobi sheep disease (NSD), caused by the viral agent NSD virus (NSDV), is a haemorrhagic fever disease affecting and inducing high mortality in sheep and goat populations. NSDV belongs to the genus Orthonairovirus of the Nairoviridae family from the order Bunyavirales. Other viruses circulating in livestock such as Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) and Dugbe virus (DUGV) are members of the same genus and are reported to share antigenic features. There are very few available materials to study NSDV infection both in vitro and in vivo. In the present work, we characterised two monoclonal antibodies generated in mice that recognise NSDV specifically but not CCHFV or DUGV, along with a potential use to define virus-infected cells, using flow cytometry. We believe this tool can be useful for research, but also NSDV diagnostics, especially through immunological staining.

The heterogeneous herd: Drivers of close-contact variation in African buffalo and implications for pathogen invasion.

Many infectious pathogens are shared through social interactions, and examining host connectivity has offered valuable insights for understanding patterns of pathogen transmission across wildlife species. African buffalo are social ungulates and important reservoirs of directly-transmitted pathogens that impact numerous wildlife and livestock species. Here, we analyzed African buffalo social networks to quantify variation in close contacts, examined drivers of contact heterogeneity, and investigated how the observed contact patterns affect pathogen invasion likelihoods for a wild social ungulate. We collected continuous association data using proximity collars and sampled host traits approximately every 2 months during a 15-month study period in Kruger National Park, South Africa. Although the observed herd was well connected, with most individuals contacting each other during each bimonthly interval, our analyses revealed striking heterogeneity in close-contact associations among herd members. Network analysis showed that individual connectivity was stable over time and that individual age, sex, reproductive status, and pairwise genetic relatedness were important predictors of buffalo connectivity. Calves were the most connected members of the herd, and adult males were the least connected. These findings highlight the role susceptible calves may play in the transmission of pathogens within the herd. We also demonstrate that, at time scales relevant to infectious pathogens found in nature, the observed level of connectivity affects pathogen invasion likelihoods for a wide range of infectious periods and transmissibilities. Ultimately, our study identifies key predictors of social connectivity in a social ungulate and illustrates how contact heterogeneity, even within a highly connected herd, can shape pathogen invasion likelihoods.

A Customizable Suite of Methods to Sequence and Annotate Cattle Antibodies.

Studying the antibody response to infection or vaccination is essential for developing more effective vaccines and therapeutics. Advances in high-throughput antibody sequencing technologies and immunoinformatic tools now allow the fast and comprehensive analysis of antibody repertoires at high resolution in any species. Here, we detail a flexible and customizable suite of methods from flow cytometry, single cell sorting, heavy and light chain amplification to antibody sequencing in cattle. These methods were used successfully, including adaptation to the 10x Genomics platform, to isolate native heavy-light chain pairs. When combined with the Ig-Sequence Multi-Species Annotation Tool, this suite represents a powerful toolkit for studying the cattle antibody response with high resolution and precision. Using three workflows, we processed 84, 96, and 8313 cattle B cells from which we sequenced 24, 31, and 4756 antibody heavy-light chain pairs, respectively. Each method has strengths and limitations in terms of the throughput, timeline, specialist equipment, and cost that are each discussed. Moreover, the principles outlined here can be applied to study antibody responses in other mammalian species.

Safety and immunogenicity of a ChAdOx1 vaccine against Rift Valley fever in UK adults: an open-label, non-randomised, first-in-human phase 1 clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Rift Valley fever is a viral epidemic illness prevalent in Africa that can be fatal or result in debilitating sequelae in humans. No vaccines are available for human use. We aimed to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of a non-replicating simian adenovirus-vectored Rift Valley fever (ChAdOx1 RVF) vaccine in humans. METHODS: We conducted a phase 1, first-in-human, open-label, dose-escalation trial in healthy adults aged 18-50 years at the Centre for Clinical Vaccinology and Tropical Medicine, Oxford, UK. Participants were required to have no serious comorbidities or previous history of receiving an adenovirus-based vaccine before enrolment. Participants were non-randomly allocated to receive a single ChAdOx1 RVF dose of either 5 × 109 virus particles (vp), 2·5 × 1010 vp, or 5 × 1010 vp administered intramuscularly into the deltoid of their non-dominant arm; enrolment was sequential and administration was staggered to allow for safety to be assessed before progression to the next dose. Primary outcome measures were assessment of adverse events and secondary outcome measures were Rift Valley fever neutralising antibody titres, Rift Valley fever GnGc-binding antibody titres (ELISA), and cellular response (ELISpot), analysed in all participants who received a vaccine. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04754776). FINDINGS: Between June 11, 2021, and Jan 13, 2022, 15 volunteers received a single dose of either 5 × 109 vp (n=3), 2·5 × 1010 vp (n=6), or 5 × 1010 vp (n=6) ChAdOx1 RVF. Nine participants were female and six were male. 14 (93%) of 15 participants reported solicited local adverse reactions; injection-site pain was the most frequent (13 [87%] of 15). Ten (67%) of 15 participants (from the 2·5 × 1010 vp and 5 × 1010 vp groups only) reported systemic symptoms, which were mostly mild in intensity, the most common being headache (nine [60%] of 15) and fatigue (seven [47%]). All unsolicited adverse events reported within 28 days were either mild or moderate in severity; gastrointestinal symptoms were the most common reaction (at least possibly related to vaccination), occurring in four (27%) of 15 participants. Transient decreases in total white cell, lymphocyte, or neutrophil counts occurred at day 2 in some participants in the intermediate-dose and high-dose groups. Lymphopenia graded as severe occurred in two participants in the 5 × 1010 vp group at a single timepoint, but resolved at the subsequent follow-up visit. No serious adverse events occurred. Rift Valley fever neutralising antibodies were detectable across all dose groups, with all participants in the 5 × 1010 vp dose group having high neutralising antibody titres that peaked at day 28 after vaccination and persisted through the 3-month follow-up. High titres of binding IgG targeting Gc glycoprotein were detected whereas those targeting Gn were comparatively low. IFNγ cellular responses against Rift Valley fever Gn and Gc glycoproteins were observed in all participants except one in the 5 × 1010 vp dose group. These IFNγ responses peaked at 2 weeks after vaccination, were highest in the 5 × 1010 vp dose group, and tended to be more frequent against the Gn glycoprotein. INTERPRETATION: ChAdOx1 RVF was safe, well tolerated, and immunogenic when administered as a single dose in this study population. The data support further clinical development of ChAdOx1 RVF for human use. FUNDING: UK Department of Health and Social Care through the UK Vaccines Network, Oak Foundation, and the Wellcome Trust. TRANSLATION: For the Swahili translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

Development of anti-Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus Gc and NP-specific ELISA for detection of antibodies in domestic animal sera.

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a priority emerging disease. CCHF, caused by the CCHF virus (CCHFV), can lead to hemorrhagic fever in humans with severe cases often having fatal outcomes. CCHFV is maintained within a tick-vertebrate-tick cycle, which includes domestic animals. Domestic animals infected with CCHFV do not show clinical signs of the disease and the presence of antibodies in the serum can provide evidence of their exposure to the virus. Current serological tests are specific to either one CCHFV antigen or the whole virus antigen. Here, we present the development of two in-house ELISAs for the detection of serum IgG that is specific for two different CCHFV antigens: glycoprotein Gc (CCHFV Gc) and nucleoprotein (CCHFV NP). We demonstrate that these two assays were able to detect anti-CCHFV Gc-specific and anti-CCHFV NP-specific IgG in sheep from endemic CCHFV areas with high specificity, providing new insight into the heterogeneity of the immune response induced by natural infection with CCHFV in domestic animals.

Towards Reverse Vaccinology for Bovine TB: High Throughput Expression of Full Length Recombinant Mycobacterium bovis Proteins.

Bovine tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium bovis, is a significant global pathogen causing economic loss in livestock and zoonotic TB in man. Several vaccine approaches are in development including reverse vaccinology which uses an unbiased approach to select open reading frames (ORF) of potential vaccine candidates, produce them as recombinant proteins and assesses their immunogenicity by direct immunization. To provide feasibility data for this approach we have cloned and expressed 123 ORFs from the M. bovis genome, using a mixture of E. coli and insect cell expression. We used a concatenated open reading frames design to reduce the number of clones required and single chain fusion proteins for protein pairs known to interact, such as the members of the PPE-PE family. Over 60% of clones showed soluble expression in one or the other host and most allowed rapid purification of the tagged bTB protein from the host cell background. The catalogue of recombinant proteins represents a resource that may be suitable for test immunisations in the development of an effective bTB vaccine.

Viral dynamics and immune responses to foot-and-mouth disease virus in African buffalo (Syncerus caffer).

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is one of the most important livestock diseases restricting international trade. While African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) act as the main wildlife reservoir, viral and immune response dynamics during FMD virus acute infection have not been described before in this species. We used experimental needle inoculation and contact infections with three Southern African Territories serotypes to assess clinical, virological and immunological dynamics for thirty days post infection. Clinical FMD in the needle inoculated buffalo was mild and characterised by pyrexia. Despite the absence of generalised vesicles, all contact animals were readily infected with their respective serotypes within the first two to nine days after being mixed with needle challenged buffalo. Irrespective of the route of infection or serotype, there were positive associations between the viral loads in blood and the induction of host innate pro-inflammatory cytokines and acute phase proteins. Viral loads in blood and tonsil swabs were tightly correlated during the acute phase of the infection, however, viraemia significantly declined after a peak at four days post-infection (dpi), which correlated with the presence of detectable neutralising antibodies. In contrast, infectious virus was isolated in the tonsil swabs until the last sampling point (30 dpi) in most animals. The pattern of virus detection in serum and tonsil swabs was similar for all three serotypes in the direct challenged and contact challenged animals. We have demonstrated for the first time that African buffalo are indeed systemically affected by FMD virus and clinical FMD in buffalo is characterized by a transient pyrexia. Despite the lack of FMD lesions, infection of African buffalo was characterised by high viral loads in blood and oropharynx, rapid and strong host innate and adaptive immune responses and high transmissibility.

Neutralizing antibody activity against 21 SARS-CoV-2 variants in older adults vaccinated with BNT162b2.

SARS-CoV-2 variants may threaten the effectiveness of vaccines and antivirals to mitigate serious COVID-19 disease. This is of most concern in clinically vulnerable groups such as older adults. We analysed 72 sera samples from 37 individuals, aged 70-89 years, vaccinated with two doses of BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) 3 weeks apart, for neutralizing antibody responses to wildtype SARS-CoV-2. Between 3 and 20 weeks after the second vaccine dose, neutralizing antibody titres fell 4.9-fold to a median titre of 21.3 (neutralization dose 80%), with 21.6% of individuals having no detectable neutralizing antibodies at the later time point. Next, we examined neutralization of 21 distinct SARS-CoV-2 variant spike proteins with these sera, and confirmed substantial antigenic escape, especially for the Omicron (B.1.1.529, BA.1/BA.2), Beta (B.1.351), Delta (B.1.617.2), Theta (P.3), C.1.2 and B.1.638 spike variants. By combining pseudotype neutralization with specific receptor-binding domain (RBD) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, we showed that changes to position 484 in the spike RBD were mainly responsible for SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody escape. Nineteen sera from the same individuals boosted with a third dose of BNT162b2 contained higher neutralizing antibody titres, providing cross-protection against Omicron BA.1 and BA.2. Despite SARS-CoV-2 immunity waning over time in older adults, booster vaccines can elicit broad neutralizing antibodies against a large number of SARS-CoV-2 variants in this clinically vulnerable cohort.

Foot-and-mouth disease virus localisation on follicular dendritic cells and sustained induction of neutralising antibodies is dependent on binding to complement receptors (CR2/CR1).

Previous studies have shown after the resolution of acute infection and viraemia, foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) capsid proteins and/or genome are localised in the light zone of germinal centres of lymphoid tissue in cattle and African buffalo. The pattern of staining for FMDV proteins was consistent with the virus binding to follicular dendritic cells (FDCs). We have now demonstrated a similar pattern of FMDV protein staining in mouse spleens after acute infection and showed FMDV proteins are colocalised with FDCs. Blocking antigen binding to complement receptor type 2 and 1 (CR2/CR1) prior to infection with FMDV significantly reduced the detection of viral proteins on FDCs and FMDV genomic RNA in spleen samples. Blocking the receptors prior to infection also significantly reduced neutralising antibody titres, through significant reduction in their avidity to the FMDV capsid. Therefore, the binding of FMDV to FDCs and sustained induction of neutralising antibody responses are dependent on FMDV binding to CR2/CR1 in mice.

Pseudotyped Bat Coronavirus RaTG13 is efficiently neutralised by convalescent sera from SARS-CoV-2 infected patients.

RaTG13 is a close relative of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, sharing 96% sequence similarity at the genome-wide level. The spike receptor binding domain (RBD) of RaTG13 contains a number of amino acid substitutions when compared to SARS-CoV-2, likely impacting affinity for the ACE2 receptor. Antigenic differences between the viruses are less well understood, especially whether RaTG13 spike can be efficiently neutralised by antibodies generated from infection with, or vaccination against, SARS-CoV-2. Using RaTG13 and SARS-CoV-2 pseudotypes we compared neutralisation using convalescent sera from previously infected patients or vaccinated healthcare workers. Surprisingly, our results revealed that RaTG13 was more efficiently neutralised than SARS-CoV-2. In addition, neutralisation assays using spike mutants harbouring single and combinatorial amino acid substitutions within the RBD demonstrated that both spike proteins can tolerate multiple changes without dramatically reducing neutralisation. Moreover, introducing the 484 K mutation into RaTG13 resulted in increased neutralisation, in contrast to the same mutation in SARS-CoV-2 (E484K). This is despite E484K having a well-documented role in immune evasion in variants of concern (VOC) such as B.1.351 (Beta). These results indicate that the future spill-over of RaTG13 and/or related sarbecoviruses could be mitigated using current SARS-CoV-2-based vaccination strategies.

Porcine Respiratory Coronavirus as a Model for Acute Respiratory Coronavirus Disease.

In the light of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, we have developed a porcine respiratory coronavirus (PRCV) model for in depth mechanistic evaluation of the pathogenesis, virology and immune responses of this important family of viruses. Pigs are a large animal with similar physiology and immunology to humans and are a natural host for PRCV. Four PRCV strains were investigated and shown to induce different degrees of lung pathology. Importantly, although all four strains replicated equally well in porcine cell lines in vitro and in the upper respiratory tract in vivo, PRCV strains causing more severe lung pathology were also able to replicate in ex vivo tracheal organ cultures as well as in vivo in the trachea and lung. The time course of infection of PRCV 135, which caused the most severe pulmonary pathology, was investigated. Virus was shed from the upper respiratory tract until day 10 post infection, with infection of the respiratory mucosa, as well as olfactory and sustentacular cells, providing an excellent model to study upper respiratory tract disease in addition to the commonly known lower respiratory tract disease from PRCV. Infected animals made antibody and T cell responses that cross reacted with the four PRCV strains and Transmissible Gastroenteritis Virus. The antibody response was reproduced in vitro in organ cultures. Comparison of mechanisms of infection and immune control in pigs infected with PRCVs of differing pathogenicity with human data from SARS-CoV-2 infection and from our in vitro organ cultures, will enable key events in coronavirus infection and disease pathogenesis to be identified.

Spatial, temporal and molecular dynamics of swine influenza virus-specific CD8 tissue resident memory T cells.

For the first time we have defined naïve, central memory, effector memory and differentiated effector porcine CD8 T cells and analyzed their distribution in lymphoid and respiratory tissues after influenza infection or immunization, using peptide-MHC tetramers of three influenza nucleoprotein (NP) epitopes. The hierarchy of response to the three epitopes changes during the response in different tissues. Most NP-specific CD8 T cells in broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL) and lung are tissue resident memory cells (TRM) that express CD69 and downregulate CD45RA and CCR7. NP-specific cells isolated from BAL express genes characteristic of TRM, but gene expression differs at 7, 21 and 63 days post infection. In all tissues the frequency of NP-specific CD8 cells declines over 63 days almost to background levels but is best maintained in BAL. The kinetic of influenza specific memory CD8 T cell in this natural host species differs from that in small animal models.

Stability of Chimpanzee Adenovirus Vectored Vaccines (ChAdOx1 and ChAdOx2) in Liquid and Lyophilised Formulations.

Adenovirus vectored vaccines have entered global use during the COVID-19 pandemic, and are in development for multiple other human and veterinary applications. An attraction of the technology is the suitability of the vaccines for storage at 2-8 °C for months. Widely used COVID-19 vaccine ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (University of Oxford/AstraZeneca) is based on a species E simian adenovirus. Species E simian serotypes have been used in a wide range of other development programs, but the stability of such vectors has not been extensively described in the peer-reviewed literature. Here, we explore the stability of two candidate vaccines based on two species E serotypes: a Rift Valley fever vaccine based upon the ChAdOx1 vector (Y25 serotype) used in ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, and a rabies vaccine based upon a ChAdOx2 vector (AdC68 serotype). We describe each vector's stability in liquid and lyophilised formulations using in vitro and in vivo potency measurements. Our data support the suitability of liquid formulations of these vectors for storage at 2-8 °C for up to 1 year, and potentially for nonrefrigerated storage for a brief period during last-leg distribution (perhaps 1-3 days at 20 °C-the precise definition of acceptable last-leg storage conditions would require further product-specific data). Depending upon the level of inprocess potency loss that is economically acceptable, and the level of instorage loss that is compatible with maintenance of acceptable end-of-storage potency, a previously reported lyophilised formulation may enable longer term storage at 20 °C or storage for a number of days at 30 °C.

Endemic persistence of a highly contagious pathogen: Foot-and-mouth disease in its wildlife host.

Extremely contagious pathogens are a global biosecurity threat because of their high burden of morbidity and mortality, as well as their capacity for fast-moving epidemics that are difficult to quell. Understanding the mechanisms enabling persistence of highly transmissible pathogens in host populations is thus a central problem in disease ecology. Through a combination of experimental and theoretical approaches, we investigated how highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease viruses persist in the African buffalo, which serves as their wildlife reservoir. We found that viral persistence through transmission among acutely infected hosts alone is unlikely. However, the inclusion of occasional transmission from persistently infected carriers reliably rescues the most infectious viral strain from fade-out. Additional mechanisms such as antigenic shift, loss of immunity, or spillover among host populations may be required for persistence of less transmissible strains.

The selection of naturally stable candidate foot-and-mouth disease virus vaccine strains for East Africa.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a global burden on the livestock industry. The causative agent, FMD virus (FMDV), is highly infectious and exists in seven distinct serotypes. Vaccination remains the most effective control strategy in endemic regions and current FMD vaccines are made from inactivated preparations of whole virus. The inherent instability of FMDV and the emergence of new strains presents challenges to efficacious vaccine development. Currently, vaccines available in East Africa are comprised of relatively historic strains with unreported stabilities. As an initial step to produce an improved multivalent FMD vaccine we have identified naturally stable East African FMDV strains for each of the A, O, SAT1 and SAT2 serotypes and investigated their potential for protecting ruminants against strains that have recently circulated in East Africa. Interestingly, high diversity in stability between and within serotypes was observed, and in comparison to non-African A serotype viruses reported to date, the East African strains tested in this study are less stable. Candidate vaccine strains were adapted to propagation in BHK-21 cells with minimal capsid changes and used to generate vaccinate sera that effectively neutralised a panel of FMDV strains selected to improve FMD vaccines used in East Africa. This work highlights the importance of combining tools to predict and assess FMDV vaccine stability, with cell culture adaptation and serological tests in the development of FMD vaccines.

Using cross-species vaccination approaches to counter emerging infectious diseases.

Since the initial use of vaccination in the eighteenth century, our understanding of human and animal immunology has greatly advanced and a wide range of vaccine technologies and delivery systems have been developed. The COVID-19 pandemic response leveraged these innovations to enable rapid development of candidate vaccines within weeks of the viral genetic sequence being made available. The development of vaccines to tackle emerging infectious diseases is a priority for the World Health Organization and other global entities. More than 70% of emerging infectious diseases are acquired from animals, with some causing illness and death in both humans and the respective animal host. Yet the study of critical host-pathogen interactions and the underlying immune mechanisms to inform the development of vaccines for their control is traditionally done in medical and veterinary immunology 'silos'. In this Perspective, we highlight a 'One Health vaccinology' approach and discuss some key areas of synergy in human and veterinary vaccinology that could be exploited to accelerate the development of effective vaccines against these shared health threats.

The detection of long-lasting memory foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) virus serotype O-specific CD4+ T cells from FMD-vaccinated cattle by bovine major histocompatibility complex class II tetramer.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious, economically devastating disease of cloven-hooved animals. The development of long-lasting effective FMD vaccines would greatly benefit the global FMD control programme. Deep analysis of adaptive immunity in cattle vaccinated against FMD is technically challenging due to the lack of species-specific tools. In this study, we aimed to identify CD4+ T-cell epitopes in the FMD virus (FMDV) capsid and to phenotype the CD4+ T cells that recognize them using bovine major histocompatibility complex (BoLA) class II tetramer. A BoLA class II tetramer based on the DRA/DRB3*020:02 allele and FMDV antigen-stimulated PBMCs from bovine vaccinates were used to successfully identify four epitopes in the FMDV capsid, three of which have not been previously reported; two epitopes were identified in the structural protein VP1, one in VP3 and one in VP4. Specificity of the three novel epitopes was confirmed by proliferation assay. All epitope-expanded T-cell populations produced IFN-γ in vitro, indicating a long-lasting Th1 cell phenotype after FMD vaccination. VP3-specific CD4+ T cells exhibited the highest frequency amongst the identified epitopes, comprising >0·004% of the CD4+ T-cell population. CD45RO+ CCR7+ defined central memory CD4+ T-cell subpopulations were present in higher frequency in FMDV-specific CD4+ T-cell populations from FMD-vaccinated cattle ex vivo. This indicates an important role in maintaining cell adaptive immunity after FMD vaccination. Notably, FMDV epitope-loaded tetramers detected the presence of FMDV-specific CD4+ T cells in bovine PBMC more than four years after vaccination. This work contributes to our understanding of vaccine efficacy.

A COVID-19 vaccine candidate using SpyCatcher multimerization of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor-binding domain induces potent neutralising antibody responses.

There is need for effective and affordable vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 to tackle the ongoing pandemic. In this study, we describe a protein nanoparticle vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. The vaccine is based on the display of coronavirus spike glycoprotein receptor-binding domain (RBD) on a synthetic virus-like particle (VLP) platform, SpyCatcher003-mi3, using SpyTag/SpyCatcher technology. Low doses of RBD-SpyVLP in a prime-boost regimen induce a strong neutralising antibody response in mice and pigs that is superior to convalescent human sera. We evaluate antibody quality using ACE2 blocking and neutralisation of cell infection by pseudovirus or wild-type SARS-CoV-2. Using competition assays with a monoclonal antibody panel, we show that RBD-SpyVLP induces a polyclonal antibody response that recognises key epitopes on the RBD, reducing the likelihood of selecting neutralisation-escape mutants. Moreover, RBD-SpyVLP is thermostable and can be lyophilised without losing immunogenicity, to facilitate global distribution and reduce cold-chain dependence. The data suggests that RBD-SpyVLP provides strong potential to address clinical and logistic challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A plasmid encoding the extracellular domain of CD40 ligand and Montanide™ GEL01 as adjuvants enhance the immunogenicity and the protection induced by a DNA vaccine against BoHV-1.

DNA vaccines are capable of inducing humoral and cellular immunity, and are important to control bovine herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1), an agent of the bovine respiratory disease complex. In previous work, a DNA plasmid that encodes a secreted form of BoHV-1 glycoprotein D (pCIgD) together with commercial adjuvants provided partial protection against viral challenge of bovines. In this work, we evaluate new molecules that could potentiate the DNA vaccine. We show that a plasmid encoding a soluble CD40 ligand (CD40L) and the adjuvant Montanide™ GEL01 (GEL01) activate in vitro bovine afferent lymph dendritic cells (ALDCs). CD40L is a co-stimulating molecule, expressed transiently on activated CD4+ T cells and, to a lesser extent, on activated B cells and platelets. The interaction with its receptor, CD40, exerts effects on the presenting cells, triggering responses in the immune system. GEL01 was designed to improve transfection of DNA vaccines. We vaccinated cattle with: pCIgD; pCIgD-GEL01; pCIgD with GEL01 and CD40L plasmid (named pCIgD-CD40L-GEL01) or with pCIneo vaccines. The results show that CD40L plasmid with GEL01 improved the pCIgD DNA vaccine, increasing anti-BoHV-1 total IgGs, IgG1, IgG2 subclasses, and neutralizing antibodies in serum. After viral challenge, bovines vaccinated with pCIgD-GEL01-CD40L showed a significant decrease in viral excretion and clinical score. On the other hand, 80% of animals in group pCIgD-GEL01-CD40L presented specific anti-BoHV-1 IgG1 antibodies in nasal swabs. In addition, PBMCs from pCIgD-CD40L-GEL01 had the highest percentage of animals with a positive lymphoproliferative response against the virus and significant differences in the secretion of IFNγ and IL-4 by mononuclear cells, indicating the stimulation of the cellular immune response. Overall, the results demonstrate that a plasmid expressing CD40L associated with the adjuvant GEL01 improves the efficacy of a DNA vaccine against BoHV-1.