Vesicular Stomatitis Virus-Based Vaccines Provide Cross-Protection against Andes and Sin Nombre Viruses.

Bryce M Warner,Derek R Stein,David Safronetz,Angela Sloan,Patrycja Sroga,Kathy L Frost,Megan M Slough,Stephanie Booth,Kartik Chandran,Rohit K Jangra

doi:10.3390/v11070645

Abstract

Andes virus (ANDV) and Sin Nombre virus (SNV) are the main causative agents responsible for hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) in the Americas. HCPS is a severe respiratory disease with a high fatality rate for which there are no approved therapeutics or vaccines available. Some vaccine approaches for HCPS have been tested in preclinical models, but none have been tested in infectious models in regard to their ability to protect against multiple species of HCPS-causing viruses. Here, we utilize recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus-based (VSV) vaccines for Andes virus (ANDV) and Sin Nombre virus (SNV) and assess their ability to provide cross-protection in infectious challenge models. We show that, while both rVSVΔG/ANDVGPC and rVSVΔG/SNVGPC display attenuated growth as compared to wild type VSV, each vaccine is able to induce a cross-reactive antibody response. Both vaccines protected against both homologous and heterologous challenge with ANDV and SNV and prevented HCPS in a lethal ANDV challenge model. This study provides evidence that the development of a single vaccine against HCPS-causing hantaviruses could provide protection against multiple agents.

Highlights

Hantaviruses are a family of enveloped, tri-segmented, negative-sense RNA viruses that are part of the order Bunyavirales
There are no vaccines approved for protection against Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS)
While there has been a significant amount of focus on development of vaccines against Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), including the use in humans of an inactivated Hantaan virus vaccine, Hantavax, there has been little progress in the way of vaccines for HCPS [25,26]

Summary

Introduction

Hantaviruses are a family of enveloped, tri-segmented, negative-sense RNA viruses that are part of the order Bunyavirales. They are zoonotic pathogens found mainly in murid and cricetid rodents, as well as moles, shrews, and bats, and have a worldwide distribution [1]. In humans, they are able to cause two distinct diseases. Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) is caused by New World hantaviruses found in the Americas and is a severe cardiopulmonary disease characterized by respiratory failure, pulmonary edema, and cardiogenic shock, with fatality rates greater than 35% [1]. SNV is carried by Peromyscus maniculatus (deer mice) and has been responsible for greater than 800 cases in Viruses 2019, 11, 645; doi:10.3390/v11070645 www.mdpi.com/journal/viruses

Methods

Results

Conclusion