A Pan-Ebolavirus Monoclonal Antibody Cocktail Provides Protection Against Ebola and Sudan Viruses.

Filoviruses, including ebolaviruses and marburgviruses, can cause severe and often fatal disease in humans. Over the past several years, antibody therapy has emerged as a promising strategy for the treatment of filovirus disease. Here, we describe 2 distinct cross-reactive monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) isolated from mice immunized with recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus-based filovirus vaccines. Both mAbs recognized the glycoproteins of multiple different ebolaviruses and exhibited broad but differential in vitro neutralization activities against these viruses. By themselves, each mAb provided partial to full protection against Ebola virus in mice, and in combination, the mAbs provided 100% protection against Sudan virus challenge in guinea pigs. This study identified novel mAbs that were elicited through immunization and able to provide protection from ebolavirus infection, thus enriching the pool of candidate therapeutics for treating Ebola disease.

Survey of Toxoplasma gondii in Urban and Rural Squirrels (Sciuridae) in Manitoba, Canada.

The coccidian parasite Toxoplasma gondii is found worldwide infecting warm-blooded vertebrates. Felids are the definitive hosts; other species act as intermediate hosts. Squirrels (Sciuridae) generally have high population densities in cities and forage and cache food on the ground, where they may come into contact with T. gondii oocysts or be preyed upon by cats and other carnivores. This environment might make squirrels important intermediate hosts of T. gondii in cities, and infection rates could indicate environmental levels of oocysts in soil. We investigated whether urban squirrels would be more exposed to T. gondii infection than rural squirrels with samples collected from American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus), eastern grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis), northern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus), and least chipmunks (Tamias minimus) in and around Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. We tested 230 tissue samples from 46 squirrels for T. gondii DNA by quantitative PCR and 13 serum samples from grey squirrels for T. gondii antibodies by competitive ELISA. We found no evidence of infection in any squirrel, indicating that squirrels are probably not important intermediate hosts of T. gondii in cities and that consumption of oocysts in the soil in general may not be an important contributor to transmission in colder environments.

Generation and Characterization of Anti-Filovirus Nucleoprotein Monoclonal Antibodies.

Filoviruses cause lethal hemorrhagic fever in humans. The filovirus nucleoprotein (NP) is expressed in high abundance in infected cells and is essential for virus replication. To generate anti-filovirus monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against the NP, mice were immunized with peptides known as B-cell epitopes corresponding to different filovirus NPs, and hybridomas were screened using FLAG-tagged filovirus NP constructs. Numerous mAbs were identified, isotyped, and characterized. The anti-NP mAbs demonstrated different ranges of binding affinities to various filovirus NPs. Most of the clones specifically detected both recombinant and wild-type NPs from different filoviruses, including Ebola (EBOV), Sudan (SUDV), Bundibugyo (BDBV), Marburg (MARV), Tai Forest (TAFV), and Reston (RESTV) viruses in western blot analysis. The mAbs were also able to detect native NPs within the cytoplasm of infected cells by immunofluorescence confocal microscopy. Thus, this panel of mAbs represents an important set of tools that may be potentially useful for diagnosing filovirus infection, characterizing virus replication, and detecting NP⁻host protein interactions.

Complete protection of the BALB/c and C57BL/6J mice against Ebola and Marburg virus lethal challenges by pan-filovirus T-cell epigraph vaccine.

There are a number of vaccine candidates under development against a small number of the most common outbreak filoviruses all employing the virus glycoprotein (GP) as the vaccine immunogen. However, antibodies induced by such GP vaccines are typically autologous and limited to the other members of the same species. In contrast, T-cell vaccines offer a possibility to design a single pan-filovirus vaccine protecting against all known and even likely existing, but as yet unencountered members of the family. Here, we used a cross-filovirus immunogen based on conserved regions of the filovirus nucleoprotein, matrix and polymerase to construct simian adenovirus- and poxvirus MVA-vectored vaccines, and in a proof-of-concept study demonstrated a protection of the BALB/c and C57BL/6J mice against high, lethal challenges with Ebola and Marburg viruses, two distant members of the family, by vaccine-elicited T cells in the absence of GP antibodies.

Characterization of Reston virus infection in ferrets.

Among the five currently recognized type viruses within the genus Ebolavirus, Reston virus (RESTV) is not known to cause disease in humans, although asymptomatic infections have been confirmed in the past. Intriguingly, despite the absence of pathogenicity in humans, RESTV is highly lethal to nonhuman primates and has been isolated from domestic pigs co-infected with other viruses in the Philippines and China. Whether infection in these animals can support the eventual emergence of a human-pathogenic RESTV remains unclear and requires further investigation. Unfortunately, there is currently no lethal small animal model available to investigate RESTV pathogenicity or pan-ebolavirus therapeutics. Here we show that wild type RESTV is uniformly lethal in ferrets. In this study, ferrets were challenged with 1260 TCID50 of wild type RESTV either intramuscularly or intranasally and monitored for clinical signs, survival, virus replication, alteration in serum biochemistry and blood cell counts. Irrespective of the route of challenge, viremia occurred in all ferrets on day 5 post-infection, and all animals succumbed to infection between days 9 and 11. Additionally, several similarities were observed between this model and the other ferret models of filovirus infection, including substantial decreases in lymphocyte and platelet counts and abnormalities in serum biochemistry indicating hepatic injury. The ferret model represents the first uniformly lethal model for RESTV infection, and it will undoubtedly prove useful for evaluating virus pathogenicity as well as pan-ebolavirus countermeasures.

Post-exposure immunotherapy for two ebolaviruses and Marburg virus in nonhuman primates.

The 2013-2016 Ebola virus (EBOV) disease epidemic demonstrated the grave consequences of filovirus epidemics in the absence of effective therapeutics. Besides EBOV, two additional ebolaviruses, Sudan (SUDV) and Bundibugyo (BDBV) viruses, as well as multiple variants of Marburg virus (MARV), have also caused high fatality epidemics. Current experimental EBOV monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are ineffective against SUDV, BDBV, or MARV. Here, we report that a cocktail of two broadly neutralizing ebolavirus mAbs, FVM04 and CA45, protects nonhuman primates (NHPs) against EBOV and SUDV infection when delivered four days post infection. This cocktail when supplemented by the anti-MARV mAb MR191 exhibited 100% efficacy in MARV-infected NHPs. These findings provide a solid foundation for clinical development of broadly protective immunotherapeutics for use in future filovirus epidemics.

A Two-Antibody Pan-Ebolavirus Cocktail Confers Broad Therapeutic Protection in Ferrets and Nonhuman Primates.

Recent and ongoing outbreaks of Ebola virus disease (EVD) underscore the unpredictable nature of ebolavirus reemergence and the urgent need for antiviral treatments. Unfortunately, available experimental vaccines and immunotherapeutics are specific for a single member of the Ebolavirus genus, Ebola virus (EBOV), and ineffective against other ebolaviruses associated with EVD, including Sudan virus (SUDV) and Bundibugyo virus (BDBV). Here we show that MBP134AF, a pan-ebolavirus therapeutic comprising two broadly neutralizing human antibodies (bNAbs), affords unprecedented effectiveness and potency as a therapeutic countermeasure to antigenically diverse ebolaviruses. MBP134AF could fully protect ferrets against lethal EBOV, SUDV, and BDBV infection, and a single 25-mg/kg dose was sufficient to protect NHPs against all three viruses. The development of MBP134AF provides a successful model for the rapid discovery and translational advancement of immunotherapeutics targeting emerging infectious diseases.

Equine-Origin Immunoglobulin Fragments Protect Nonhuman Primates from Ebola Virus Disease.

Ebola virus (EBOV) infections result in aggressive hemorrhagic fever in humans, with fatality rates reaching 90% and with no licensed specific therapeutics to treat ill patients. Advances over the past 5 years have firmly established monoclonal antibody (MAb)-based products as the most promising therapeutics for treating EBOV infections, but production is costly and quantities are limited; therefore, MAbs are not the best candidates for mass use in the case of an epidemic. To address this need, we generated EBOV-specific polyclonal F(ab')2 fragments from horses hyperimmunized with an EBOV vaccine. The F(ab')2 was found to potently neutralize West African and Central African EBOV in vitro Treatment of nonhuman primates (NHPs) with seven doses of 100 mg/kg F(ab')2 beginning 3 or 5 days postinfection (dpi) resulted in a 100% survival rate. Notably, NHPs for which treatment was initiated at 5 dpi were already highly viremic, with observable signs of EBOV disease, which demonstrated that F(ab')2 was still effective as a therapeutic agent even in symptomatic subjects. These results show that F(ab')2 should be advanced for clinical testing in preparation for future EBOV outbreaks and epidemics.IMPORTANCE EBOV is one of the deadliest viruses to humans. It has been over 40 years since EBOV was first reported, but no cure is available. Research breakthroughs over the past 5 years have shown that MAbs constitute an effective therapy for EBOV infections. However, MAbs are expensive and difficult to produce in large amounts and therefore may only play a limited role during an epidemic. A cheaper alternative is required, especially since EBOV is endemic in several third world countries with limited medical resources. Here, we used a standard protocol to produce large amounts of antiserum F(ab')2 fragments from horses vaccinated with an EBOV vaccine, and we tested the protectiveness in monkeys. We showed that F(ab')2 was effective in 100% of monkeys even after the animals were visibly ill with EBOV disease. Thus, F(ab')2 could be a very good option for large-scale treatments of patients and should be advanced to clinical testing.

Global Interactomics Connect Nuclear Mitotic Apparatus Protein NUMA1 to Influenza Virus Maturation.

Influenza A virus (IAV) infections remain a major human health threat. IAV has enormous genetic plasticity and can rapidly escape virus-targeted anti-viral strategies. Thus, there is increasing interest to identify host proteins and processes the virus requires for replication and maturation. The IAV non-structural protein 1 (NS1) is a critical multifunctional protein that is expressed to high levels in infected cells. Host proteins that interact with NS1 may serve as ideal targets for attenuating IAV replication. We previously developed and characterized broadly cross-reactive anti-NS1 monoclonal antibodies. For the current study, we used these mAbs to co-immunoprecipitate native IAV NS1 and interacting host proteins; 183 proteins were consistently identified in this NS1 interactome study, 124 of which have not been previously reported. RNAi screens identified 11 NS1-interacting host factors as vital for IAV replication. Knocking down one of these, nuclear mitotic apparatus protein 1 (NUMA1), dramatically reduced IAV replication. IAV genomic transcription and translation were not inhibited but transport of viral structural proteins to the cell membrane was hindered during maturation steps in NUMA1 knockdown (KD) cells.

Occurrence of Hybrid Escherichia coli Strains Carrying Shiga Toxin and Heat-Stable Toxin in Livestock of Bangladesh.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) are important causes of diarrhea in humans and animals worldwide. Although ruminant animals are the main source of STEC, diarrhea due to this pathotype is very low in Bangladesh where ETEC remains the predominant group associated with childhood diarrhea. In the present study, E. coli strains (n = 35) isolated from Bangladesh livestock (goats, sheep, and cattle) and poultry (chicken and ducks) were analyzed for the presence of major virulence factors, such as Shiga toxins (STX-1 and STX-2), heat-labile toxin, and heat-stable toxins (STa and STb). Multiplex polymerase chain reaction results revealed 23 (66%) E. coli strains to be virulent possessing either sta (n = 5), stx (stx1, n = 8; stx2, n = 2), or both (n = 8) genes in varying combinations. Thirty-four percent (8/23) of strains from livestock were hybrid type that carried both stx (either stx1 or stx2) and ETEC-specific enterotoxin gene sta. Serotyping results revealed that the ETEC strains belonged to five serotypes, namely O36:H5, O174:H-, O152:H8, O109:H51, and O8:H21, while the STEC-producing strains belonged to serotypes O76:H19 (n = 3), O43:H2 (n = 2), O87:H16 (n = 2), OR:H2 (n = 1), O110:H16 (n = 1), and O152:H8 (n = 1). The STEC-ETEC hybrid strains belonged to serotypes O76:H19 (n = 3), O43:H2 (n = 2), O87:H16, OR:H2, and O152:H8. Forty percent (2/5) of the ETEC and 20% (2/10) of the STEC strains were multidrug resistant with the highest drug resistance (50%) being found in the hybrid strains. Molecular fingerprinting determined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and cluster analyses by dendrogram revealed that, genetically, STEC-ETEC hybrid strains were highly heterogeneous. Multidrug-resistant E. coli STEC-ETEC hybrid strains in domesticated animals pose a public health threat for humans in Bangladesh.

Generation and characterization of a new panel of broadly reactive anti-NS1 mAbs for detection of influenza A virus.

Influenza A virus (IAV) non-structural protein 1 (NS1) has multiple functions, is essential for virus replication and may be a good target for IAV diagnosis. To generate broadly cross-reactive NS1-specific mAbs, mice were immunized with A/Hong Kong/1/1968 (H3N2) 6×His-tagged NS1 and hybridomas were screened with glutathione S-transferase-conjugated NS1 of A/Puerto Rico/8/1934 (H1N1). mAbs were isotyped and numerous IgG-type clones were characterized further. Most clones specifically recognized NS1 from various H1N1 and H3N2 IAV types by both immunoblot and immunofluorescence microscopy in mouse M1, canine Madin-Darby canine kidney and human A549 cells. mAb epitopes were mapped by overlapping peptides and selective reactivity to the newly described viral NS3 protein. These mAbs detected NS1 in both the cytoplasm and nucleus by immunostaining, and some detected NS1 as early as 5 h post-infection, suggesting their potential diagnostic use for tracking productive IAV replication and characterizing NS1 structure and function. It was also demonstrated that the newly identified NS3 protein is localized in the cytoplasm to high levels.