Eva Calvo-Pinilla

Establishment of a bluetongue virus infection model in mice that are deficient in the alpha/beta interferon receptor.

Bluetongue (BT) is a noncontagious, insect-transmitted disease of ruminants caused by the bluetongue virus (BTV). A laboratory animal model would greatly facilitate the studies of pathogenesis, immune response and vaccination against BTV. Herein, we show that adult mice deficient in type I IFN receptor (IFNAR(−/−)) are highly susceptible to BTV-4 and BTV-8 infection when the virus is administered intravenously. Disease was characterized by ocular discharges and apathy, starting at 48 hours post-infection and quickly leading to animal death within 60 hours of inoculation. Infectious virus was recovered from the spleen, lung, thymus, and lymph nodes indicating a systemic infection. In addition, a lymphoid depletion in spleen, and severe pneumonia were observed in the infected mice. Furthermore, IFNAR(−/−) adult mice immunized with a BTV-4 inactivated vaccine showed the induction of neutralizing antibodies against BTV-4 and complete protection against challenge with a lethal dose of this virus. The data indicate that this mouse model may facilitate the study of BTV pathogenesis, and the development of new effective vaccines for BTV.

A Modified Vaccinia Ankara Virus (MVA) Vaccine Expressing African Horse Sickness Virus (AHSV) VP2 Protects Against AHSV Challenge in an IFNAR −/− Mouse Model

African horse sickness (AHS) is a lethal viral disease of equids, which is transmitted by Culicoides midges that become infected after biting a viraemic host. The use of live attenuated vaccines has been vital for the control of this disease in endemic regions. However, there are safety concerns over their use in non-endemic countries. Research efforts over the last two decades have therefore focused on developing alternative vaccines based on recombinant baculovirus or live viral vectors expressing structural components of the AHS virion. However, ethical and financial considerations, relating to the use of infected horses in high biosecurity installations, have made progress very slow. We have therefore assessed the potential of an experimental mouse-model for AHSV infection for vaccine and immunology research. We initially characterised AHSV infection in this model, then tested the protective efficacy of a recombinant vaccine based on modified vaccinia Ankara expressing AHS-4 VP2 (MVA-VP2).

Heterologous prime boost vaccination with DNA and recombinant modified vaccinia virus Ankara protects IFNAR(-/-) mice against lethal bluetongue infection.

Recent recombinant DNA technology has provided novel approaches to develop marker and safe vaccines against bluetongue virus (BTV). To develop new vaccination strategies against BTV infection we have engineered naked DNAs and recombinant modified vaccinia virus Ankara (rMVA) expressing VP2, VP5 and VP7 proteins from BTV-4. IFNAR(-/-) mice inoculated with DNA/rMVA-VP2, -VP5, -VP7 in an heterologous prime boost vaccination strategy generated significant levels of neutralizing antibodies against BTV-4 and they were completely protected against BTV-4 challenge. Interestingly, VP2 and VP7 proteins expressed in the DNA/rMVA vaccines induced a specific BTV T-cell response that might contribute to the protection of IFNAR(-/-) mice against challenge with BTV-4. In addition, antibodies against VP2, VP5, and VP7, but not NS3 were detected in the sera of DNA/rMVA-VP2, -VP5, -VP7 immunized mice confirming the DIVA (differentiating infected from vaccinated animals) properties of this vaccine. Overall, our results show that the heterologous prime boost vaccination with DNA/rMVA expressing VP2, VP5, and VP7 proteins protects against BTV-4 infection.

Multiserotype protection elicited by a combinatorial prime-boost vaccination strategy against bluetongue virus.

Bluetongue virus (BTV) belongs to the genus Orbivirus within the family Reoviridae. The development of vector-based vaccines expressing conserved protective antigens results in increased immune activation and could reduce the number of multiserotype vaccinations required, therefore providing a cost-effective product. Recent recombinant DNA technology has allowed the development of novel strategies to develop marker and safe vaccines against BTV. We have now engineered naked DNAs and recombinant modified vaccinia virus Ankara (rMVA) expressing VP2, VP7 and NS1 proteins from BTV-4. IFNAR(−/−) mice inoculated with DNA/rMVA-VP2,-VP7-NS1 in an heterologous prime boost vaccination strategy generated significant levels of antibodies specific of VP2, VP7, and NS1, including those with neutralizing activity against BTV-4. In addition, vaccination stimulated specific CD8+ T cell responses against these three BTV proteins. Importantly, the vaccine combination expressing NS1, VP2 and VP7 proteins of BTV-4, elicited sterile protection against a lethal dose of homologous BTV-4 infection. Remarkably, the vaccine induced cross-protection against lethal doses of heterologous BTV-8 and BTV-1 suggesting that the DNA/rMVA-VP2,-VP7,-NS1 marker vaccine is a promising multiserotype vaccine against BTV.

Immunization of knock-out α/β interferon receptor mice against lethal bluetongue infection with a BoHV-4-based vector expressing BTV-8 VP2 antigen.

New effective tools for vaccine strategies are necessary to limit the spread of bluetongue, an insect-transmitted viral disease of domestic and wild ruminants. In the present study, BoHV-4-based vector cloned as a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) was engineered to express the bluetongue virus (BTV) immune-dominant glycoprotein VP2 provided of a heterologous signal peptide to its amino terminal and a trans-membrane domain to its carboxyl terminal (IgK-VP2gDtm), to allow the VP2 expression targeting to the cell membrane fraction. Based on adult α/β interferon receptor knockout (IFNAR(-/-)) mice, a newly generated bluetongue laboratory animal model, a pre-challenge experiment was performed to test BoHV-4 safety on such immune-compromised animal. BoHV-4 infected IFNAR(-/-) mice did not show clinical signs even following the inoculation of BoHV-4 intra-cerebrally, although many areas of the brain got transduced. IFNAR(-/-) mice intraperitoneally inoculated twice with BoHV-4-A-IgK-VP2gDtm at different time points developed serum neutralizing antibodies against BTV and showed a strongly reduced viremia and a longer survival time when challenged with a lethal dose of BTV-8. The data acquired in this pilot study validate BoHV-4-based vector as a safe and effective heterologous antigen carrier/producer for the formulation of enhanced recombinant immunogens for the vaccination against lethal bluetongue.

Protection of IFNAR (-/-) mice against bluetongue virus serotype 8, by heterologous (DNA/rMVA) and homologous (rMVA/rMVA) vaccination, expressing outer-capsid protein VP2.

The protective efficacy of recombinant vaccines expressing serotype 8 bluetongue virus (BTV-8) capsid proteins was tested in a mouse model. The recombinant vaccines comprised plasmid DNA or Modified Vaccinia Ankara viruses encoding BTV VP2, VP5 or VP7 proteins. These constructs were administered alone or in combination using either a homologous prime boost vaccination regime (rMVA/rMVA) or a heterologous vaccination regime (DNA/rMVA). The DNA/rMVA or rMVA/rMVA prime-boost were administered at a three week interval and all of the animals that received VP2 generated neutralising antibodies. The vaccinated and non-vaccinated-control mice were subsequently challenged with a lethal dose of BTV-8. Mice vaccinated with VP7 alone were not protected. However, mice vaccinated with DNA/rMVA or rMVA/rMVA expressing VP2, VP5 and VP7 or VP2 alone were all protected.

Recombinant vaccines against bluetongue virus.

Bluetongue (BT) is a hemorrhagic disease of ruminants caused by bluetongue virus (BTV), the prototype member of the genus Orbivirus within the family Reoviridae and is transmitted via biting midges of the genus Culicoides. BTV can be found on all continents except Antarctica, and up to 26 immunologically distinct BTV serotypes have been identified. Live attenuated and inactivated BTV vaccines have been used over the years with different degrees of success. The multiple outbreaks of BTV in Mediterranean Europe in the last two decades and the incursion of BTV-8 in Northern Europe in 2008 has re-stimulated the interest to develop improved vaccination strategies against BTV. In particular, safer, cross-reactive, more efficacious vaccines with differential diagnostic capability have been pursued by multiple BTV research groups and vaccine manufacturers. A wide variety of recombinant BTV vaccine prototypes have been investigated, ranging from baculovirus-expressed sub-unit vaccines to the use of live viral vectors. This article gives a brief overview of all these modern approaches to develop vaccines against BTV including some recent unpublished data.

Vaccination of horses with a recombinant modified vaccinia Ankara virus (MVA) expressing African horse sickness (AHS) virus major capsid protein VP2 provides complete clinical protection against challenge

Highlights • A recombinant modified Vaccinia Ankara virus expressing VP2 of African horse sickness virus serotype 9 was generated.• Four horses were vaccinated on days 0 and 20. Three unvaccinated controls were used.• Vaccinated and control horses were challenged intravenously with 107.4TCID50 of AHSV-9 on day 34 of the study.• At challenge, vaccinates had virus neutralising antibodies but were negative for antibodies to AHSV-VP7.• All vaccinates were completely protected against clinical signs of African horse sickness.

Ns1 Is a Key Protein in the Vaccine Composition to Protect Ifnar(−/−) Mice against Infection with Multiple Serotypes of African Horse Sickness Virus

African horse sickness virus (AHSV) belongs to the genus Orbivirus. We have now engineered naked DNAs and recombinant modified vaccinia virus Ankara (rMVA) expressing VP2 and NS1 proteins from AHSV-4. IFNAR(−/−) mice inoculated with DNA/rMVA-VP2,-NS1 from AHSV-4 in an heterologous prime-boost vaccination strategy generated significant levels of neutralizing antibodies specific of AHSV-4. In addition, vaccination stimulated specific T cell responses against the virus. The vaccine elicited partial protection against an homologous AHSV-4 infection and induced cross-protection against the heterologous AHSV-9. Similarly, IFNAR(−/−) mice vaccinated with an homologous prime-boost strategy with rMVA-VP2-NS1 from AHSV-4 developed neutralizing antibodies and protective immunity against AHSV-4. Furthermore, the levels of immunity were very high since none of vaccinated animals presented viraemia when they were challenged against the homologous AHSV-4 and very low levels when they were challenged against the heterologous virus AHSV-9. These data suggest that the immunization with rMVA/rMVA was more efficient in protection against a virulent challenge with AHSV-4 and both strategies, DNA/rMVA and rMVA/rMVA, protected against the infection with AHSV-9. The inclusion of the protein NS1 in the vaccine formulations targeting AHSV generates promising multiserotype vaccines.

Experimental oral infection of bluetongue virus serotype 8 in type I interferon receptor-deficient mice

The identification of transmission routes for bluetongue virus (BTV) is essential to improve the control of the disease. Although BTV is primarily transmitted by several species of Culicoides biting midges, there has been evidence of transplacental and oral transmission. We now report that IFNAR((-/-)) mice are susceptible to oral infection by BTV-8. Viraemia, clinical manifestations and tissue lesions are similar to those in intravenously infected mice. In addition, we show that the oral cavity and oesophagus are susceptible to BTV infection and replication, suggesting that these organs are possible entry routes during BTV oral infection.