This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Other Versions of this Article: JVI.01619-06v1 80/24/12293    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Mungall, B. A. Articles by Broder, C. C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Mungall, B. A. Articles by Broder, C. C.

Feline Model of Acute Nipah Virus Infection and Protection with a Soluble Glycoprotein-Based Subunit Vaccine

CSIRO Livestock Industries, Australian Animal Health Laboratory, Geelong, Victoria 3220, Australia,¹ Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, Maryland 20814²

Received 28 July 2006/ Accepted 15 September 2006

Nipah virus (NiV) and Hendra virus (HeV) are paramyxoviruses capable of causing considerable morbidity and mortality in a number of mammalian species, including humans. Case reports from outbreaks and previous challenge experiments have suggested that cats were highly susceptible to NiV infection, responding with a severe respiratory disease and systemic infection. Here we have assessed the cat as a model of experimental NiV infection and use it in the evaluation of a subunit vaccine comprised of soluble G glycoprotein (sG). Two groups of two adult cats each were inoculated subcutaneously with either 500 or 5,000 50% tissue culture infective dose(s) (TCID₅₀) of NiV. Animals were monitored closely for disease onset, and extensive analysis was conducted on samples and tissues taken during infection and at necropsy to determine viral load and tissue tropism. All animals developed clinical disease 6 to 9 days postinfection, a finding consistent with previous observations. In a subsequent experiment, two cats were immunized with HeV sG and two were immunized with NiV sG. Homologous serum neutralizing titers were greater than 1:20,000, and heterologous titers were greater than 1:20,000 to 16-fold lower. Immunized animals and two additional naive controls were then challenged subcutaneously with 500 TCID₅₀ of NiV. Naive animals developed clinical disease 6 to 13 days postinfection, whereas none of the immunized animals showed any sign of disease. TaqMan PCR analysis of samples from naive animals revealed considerable levels of NiV genome in a wide range of tissues, whereas the genome was evident in only two immunized cats in only four samples and well below the limit of accurate detection. These results indicate that the cat provides a consistent model for acute NiV infection and associated pathogenesis and an effective subunit vaccine strategy appears achievable.

Published ahead of print on 27 September 2006.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Yaiw, K. C., Bingham, J., Crameri, G., Mungall, B., Hyatt, A., Yu, M., Eaton, B., Shamala, D., Wang, L.-F., Thong Wong, K. (2008). Tioman Virus, a Paramyxovirus of Bat Origin, Causes Mild Disease in Pigs and Has a Predilection for Lymphoid Tissues. J. Virol. 82: 565-568 [Abstract] [Full Text]