Immunization with Usutu virus and with a chimeric West Nile virus (WNV) harboring Usutu-E protein protects immunocompetent adult mice against lethal challenges with different WNV lineage 1 and 2 strains

Abstract

West Nile virus (WNV) and Usutu virus (USUV), two antigenically related flaviviruses co-circulating in Europe, can cause severe neurological disease in animals and humans. The immune response against USUV and WNV and their immunopathogenesis are still poorly investigated. Here we present results upon sequential infections of adult immunocompetent CD-1 and BALB/c mice primed with two different doses (high dose, HD or low dose, LD) of an USUV isolate and challenged with HD or LD of three different WNV isolates. CD-1 and BALB/c LD USUV-primed mice, regardless of the dose, are largely protected from lethal WNV challenges despite showing no detectable neutralizing antibodies. Furthermore, mice immunized with a chimeric virus harboring the E protein of USUV within the WNV backbone (WNV_E-USUV) are protected against a lethal challenge with WNV. We believe these findings could contribute to understanding the dynamics of the interaction during sequential infection of these two flaviviruses.

Keywords: Cross-protection; Flaviviruses; Mice; Sequential infection; Usutu virus; West Nile virus.