Efficacy of an Adjuvanted Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Spike Protein Vaccine in Dromedary Camels and Alpacas

Danielle R Adney; Lingshu Wang; Neeltje van Doremalen; Wei Shi; Yi Zhang; Wing-Pui Kong; Megan R Miller; Trenton Bushmaker; Dana Scott; Emmie de Wit; Kayvon Modjarrad; Nikolai Petrovsky; Barney S Graham; Richard A Bowen; Vincent J Munster

doi:10.3390/v11030212

Efficacy of an Adjuvanted Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Spike Protein Vaccine in Dromedary Camels and Alpacas

Viruses. 2019 Mar 2;11(3):212. doi: 10.3390/v11030212.

Authors

Danielle R Adney¹, Lingshu Wang², Neeltje van Doremalen³, Wei Shi⁴, Yi Zhang⁵, Wing-Pui Kong⁶, Megan R Miller⁷, Trenton Bushmaker⁸, Dana Scott⁹, Emmie de Wit¹⁰, Kayvon Modjarrad¹¹, Nikolai Petrovsky¹², Barney S Graham¹³, Richard A Bowen¹⁴, Vincent J Munster^{15

16}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA. Danielle.Adney@colostate.edu.
² Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. wangling@niaid.nih.gov.
³ Laboratory of Virology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA. neeltje.vandoremalen@nih.gov.
⁴ Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. shiw@mail.nih.gov.
⁵ Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. yi.zhang3@nih.gov.
⁶ Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. wkong@mail.nih.gov.
⁷ Laboratory of Virology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA. megan.r.miller@colostate.edu.
⁸ Laboratory of Virology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA. bushmakertj@niaid.nih.gov.
⁹ Laboratory of Virology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA. dana.scott@nih.gov.
¹⁰ Laboratory of Virology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA. Emmie.deWit@nih.gov.
¹¹ Military HIV Research, Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA. kmodjarrad@hivresearch.org.
¹² Flinders University and Vaxine Pty Ltd, Flinders Medical Centre, Bedford Park, SA 5042, Australia. nikolai.petrovsky@flinders.edu.au.
¹³ Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. bgraham@mail.nih.gov.
¹⁴ Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA. rbowen@rams.colostate.edu.
¹⁵ Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA. Vincent.munster@nih.gov.
¹⁶ Laboratory of Virology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA. Vincent.munster@nih.gov.

Abstract

MERS-CoV is present in dromedary camels throughout the Middle East and Africa. Dromedary camels are the primary zoonotic reservoir for human infections. Interruption of the zoonotic transmission chain from camels to humans, therefore, may be an effective strategy to control the ongoing MERS-CoV outbreak. Here we show that vaccination with an adjuvanted MERS-CoV Spike protein subunit vaccine confers complete protection from MERS-CoV disease in alpaca and results in reduced and delayed viral shedding in the upper airways of dromedary camels. Protection in alpaca correlates with high serum neutralizing antibody titers. Lower titers of serum neutralizing antibodies correlate with delayed and significantly reduced shedding in the nasal turbinates of dromedary camels. Together, these data indicate that induction of robust neutralizing humoral immune responses by vaccination of naïve animals reduces shedding that potentially could diminish the risk of zoonotic transmission.

Keywords: MERS-CoV; One Health; camels; vaccines.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adjuvants, Immunologic / administration & dosage*
Animals
Antibodies, Neutralizing / blood
Antibodies, Viral / blood*
Camelids, New World / immunology
Camelus / immunology
Coronavirus Infections / prevention & control
Coronavirus Infections / veterinary*
Female
Immunity, Humoral
Male
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus / isolation & purification
Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus / immunology*
Viral Vaccines / immunology*
Virus Shedding

Substances

Adjuvants, Immunologic
Antibodies, Neutralizing
Antibodies, Viral
Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus
Viral Vaccines

Grants and funding

1ZIAAI001179-02/Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/International