Reverse genetics based H5N2 vaccine provides clinical protection against H5N1, H5N8 and H9N2 avian influenza infection in chickens

Sivasankar Panickan; Sandeep Bhatia; Sushant Bhat; Nisha Bhandari; Atul Kumar Pateriya; Semmannan Kalaiyarasu; Richa Sood; Meghna Tripathi

doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.10.018

Reverse genetics based H5N2 vaccine provides clinical protection against H5N1, H5N8 and H9N2 avian influenza infection in chickens

Vaccine. 2022 Nov 15;40(48):6998-7008. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.10.018. Epub 2022 Oct 28.

Authors

Sivasankar Panickan¹, Sandeep Bhatia², Sushant Bhat³, Nisha Bhandari⁴, Atul Kumar Pateriya⁵, Semmannan Kalaiyarasu⁵, Richa Sood⁵, Meghna Tripathi⁵

Affiliations

¹ Immunology Section, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Uttar Pradesh 243122, India; ICAR- National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal 462022, India. Electronic address: sankarsiva905@gmail.com.
² ICAR- National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal 462022, India. Electronic address: sandeep.bhatia1@icar.gov.in.
³ The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Woking, Surrey GU24 ONF, United Kingdom.
⁴ Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India.
⁵ ICAR- National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal 462022, India.

PMID: 36374710
DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.10.018

Abstract

The current study aimed to develop broadly protective vaccines for avian influenza. In an earlier study, HA stalk (universal flu vaccine) was found to be broadly protective against different subtypes of influenza virus in mice. Hence, we were interested to know its breadth of protective efficacy either alone or combined with inactivated rgH5N2 (clade 2.3.2.1a) vaccine against challenge viruses of homologous H5N1, heterologous H5N8 (clade 2.3.4.4) and heterosubtypic H9N2 virus in specific pathogen-free chickens. The rgH5N2 vaccine alone or in combination with HA stalk elicited sufficient pre-challenge immunity in the form of haemagglutination inhibiting (HI) antibodies and neutralizing antibodies (MNT) against H5N1, H5N8, and H9N2 in chickens. The rgH5N2 vaccine alone or in combination with HA stalk also attenuated the shedding of H5N1, H5N8 and H9N2 in chickens and protected against the lethal challenge of H5N1 or H5N8. In contrast, all HA stalk immunised chickens died upon H5N1 or H5N8 challenge and H9N2 challenged chickens survived. Our study suggests that the rgH5N2 vaccine can provide clinical protection against H5N1, H5N8 and can attenuate the viral shedding of H9N2 in chickens.

Keywords: Challenge infection; H5N1; H5N8; HA stalk; Reverse genetics; rgH5N2 vaccine.

MeSH terms

Animals
Antibodies, Viral
Chickens
Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype*
Influenza A Virus, H5N2 Subtype*
Influenza A Virus, H5N8 Subtype*
Influenza A Virus, H9N2 Subtype*
Influenza Vaccines*
Influenza in Birds*
Mice
Reverse Genetics

Substances

Influenza Vaccines
Antibodies, Viral