Post-exposure Treatment with Anti-rabies VHH and Vaccine Significantly Improves Protection of Mice from Lethal Rabies Infection

PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2016 Aug 2;10(8):e0004902. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004902. eCollection 2016 Aug.

Abstract

Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) against rabies infection consists of a combination of passive immunisation with plasma-derived human or equine immune globulins and active immunisation with vaccine delivered shortly after exposure. Since anti-rabies immune globulins are expensive and scarce, there is a need for cheaper alternatives that can be produced more consistently. Previously, we generated potent virus-neutralising VHH, also called Nanobodies, against the rabies glycoprotein that are effectively preventing lethal disease in an in vivo mouse model. The VHH domain is the smallest antigen-binding functional fragment of camelid heavy chain-only antibodies that can be manufactured in microbial expression systems. In the current study we evaluated the efficacy of half-life extended anti-rabies VHH in combination with vaccine for PEP in an intranasal rabies infection model in mice. The PEP combination therapy of systemic anti-rabies VHH and intramuscular vaccine significantly delayed the onset of disease compared to treatment with anti-rabies VHH alone, prolonged median survival time (35 versus 14 days) and decreased mortality (60% versus 19% survival rate), when treated 24 hours after rabies virus challenge. Vaccine alone was unable to rescue mice from lethal disease. As reported also for immune globulins, some interference of anti-rabies VHH with the antigenicity of the vaccine was observed, but this did not impede the synergistic effect. Post exposure treatment with vaccine and human anti-rabies immune globulins was unable to protect mice from lethal challenge. Anti-rabies VHH and vaccine act synergistically to protect mice after rabies virus exposure, which further validates the possible use of anti-rabies VHH for rabies PEP.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Neutralizing / administration & dosage
  • Antibodies, Viral / administration & dosage
  • Cell Line
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Female
  • Half-Life
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Neutralization Tests
  • Post-Exposure Prophylaxis*
  • Rabies / mortality*
  • Rabies / prevention & control*
  • Rabies Vaccines / administration & dosage*
  • Rabies virus
  • Single-Domain Antibodies / administration & dosage*
  • Vaccination
  • Viral Load

Substances

  • Antibodies, Neutralizing
  • Antibodies, Viral
  • Rabies Vaccines
  • Single-Domain Antibodies

Grants and funding

ST received a fellowship from the WIV-ISP (https://www.wiv-isp.be/). The National Reference Centre of Rabies is partially supported by the Belgian Ministry of Social Affairs through a fund from the Health Insurance System (http://nrchmweb.wiv-isp.be/). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.