Recombinant duck enteritis virus bearing the hemagglutinin genes of H5 and H7 influenza viruses is an ideal multivalent live vaccine in ducks

Emerg Microbes Infect. 2024 Dec;13(1):2284301. doi: 10.1080/22221751.2023.2284301. Epub 2024 Jan 4.

Abstract

Due to the fact that many avian influenza viruses that kill chickens are not lethal to ducks, farmers are reluctant to use avian influenza inactivated vaccines on ducks. Large numbers of unvaccinated ducks play an important role in the transmission of avian influenza viruses from wild birds to domestic poultry, creating a substantial challenge to vaccination strategies for avian influenza control. To solve this problem, we constructed a recombinant duck enteritis virus (DEV), rDEV-dH5/H7, using a live attenuated DEV vaccine strain (vDEV) as a vector. rDEV-dH5/H7 carries the hemagglutinin gene of two H5 viruses [GZ/S4184/17 (H5N6) (clade 2.3.4.4 h) and LN/SD007/17 (H5N1) (clade 2.3.2.1d)] and an H7 virus [GX/SD098/17 (H7N9)]. These three hemagglutinin genes were stably inherited in rDEV-dH5/H7 and expressed in rDEV-dH5/H7-infected cells. Animal studies revealed that rDEV-dH5/H7 and vDEV induced similar neutralizing antibody responses and protection against lethal DEV challenge. Importantly, rDEV-dH5/H7 induced strong and long-lasting hemagglutinin inhibition antibodies against different H5 and H7 viruses and provided complete protection against challenges with homologous and heterologous highly pathogenic H5 and H7 influenza viruses in ducks. Our study shows that rDEV-dH5/H7 could serve as an ideal live attenuated vaccine to protect ducks against infection with lethal DEV and highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses.

Keywords: Duck; H5 avian influenza virus; H7 avian influenza virus; duck enteritis virus; multivalent vaccine.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Chickens
  • Ducks
  • Enteritis*
  • Genetic Vectors
  • Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus / genetics
  • Hemagglutinins
  • Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype* / genetics
  • Influenza A Virus, H7N9 Subtype* / genetics
  • Influenza Vaccines* / genetics
  • Influenza in Birds*

Substances

  • Hemagglutinins
  • Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus
  • Influenza Vaccines

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China [grant number 2022YFC2604204], the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 32072878] and the Key Research, the Development Program of Heilongjiang Province of China [grant number 2022ZX02B11] and the earmarked fund for CARS-41. The funders had no role in the study design, data collection, data analysis, preparation of the manuscript, or decision to publish.