ABSTRACT
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) caused by a newly identified coronavirus (SARS-CoV) is a serious emerging human infectious disease. In this report, we immunized ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) with recombinant modified vaccinia virus Ankara (rMVA) expressing the SARS-CoV spike (S) protein. Immunized ferrets developed a more rapid and vigorous neutralizing antibody response than control animals after challenge with SARS-CoV; however, they also exhibited strong inflammatory responses in liver tissue. Inflammation in control animals exposed to SARS-CoV was relatively mild. Thus, our data suggest that vaccination with rMVA expressing SARS-CoV S protein is associated with enhanced hepatitis.
FOOTNOTES
- Received 29 April 2004.
- Accepted 29 July 2004.
- ↵*Corresponding author. Mailing address: National Microbiology Laboratory, Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health, 1015 Arlington St., Winnipeg, MB, Canada R3E 3R2. Phone: (204) 789-6052. Fax: (204) 789-2082. E-mail: jingxin_cao{at}hc-sc.gc.ca.
↵† H.W. and M.C. contributed equally to this work.
- American Society for Microbiology
