1
|
Cottingham E, Johnstone T, Vaz PK, Hartley CA, Devlin JM. Construction and in vitro characterisation of virus-vectored immunocontraceptive candidates derived from felid alphaherpesvirus 1. Vaccine 2024:S0264-410X(24)00615-7. [PMID: 38824082 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.05.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2024] [Revised: 05/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/03/2024]
Abstract
There is a pressing need for effective feral cat management globally due to overabundant feline populations, disease transmission and their destructive impact on biodiversity. Virus-vectored immunocontraception (VVIC) is an attractive method for cat population management. Virus-vectored immunocontraceptives could be self-disseminating through horizontal transmission of the VVIC in feral cat populations, or they may be modified to act as non-transmissible vaccine-type immunocontraceptives for delivery to individual cats. These later constructs may be particularly attractive for use in owned (pet) cats and stray cats but could also be used for feral cats that are caught, vaccinated, and released. Here, we report the construction of three felid alphaherpesvirus 1 (FHV-1) derived immunocontraceptive candidates containing genes that encode for feline zona pellucida subunit 3 (ZP3) and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). Two of the vaccine candidates were engineered to include disruptions to the thymidine kinase viral virulence gene to reduce the ability of the vaccines to be horizontally transmitted. Analysis of in vitro growth characteristics and protein expression are reported, and their potential for use as a population management tool for cats is discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ellen Cottingham
- The Asia Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.
| | - Thurid Johnstone
- ARH Essendon Fields, 72 Hargraves Ave, Melbourne (Essendon Fields), VIC 3014, Australia
| | - Paola K Vaz
- The Asia Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Carol A Hartley
- The Asia Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Joanne M Devlin
- The Asia Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Jiao C, Liu D, Jin H, Huang P, Zhang H, Li Y, Wang H. Immunogenicity evaluation of a bivalent vaccine based on a recombinant rabies virus expressing gB protein of FHV-1 in mice and cats. Vet J 2024; 304:106096. [PMID: 38503385 DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2024.106096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2024] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
Feline viral rhinotracheitis (FVR) is caused by the feline herpesvirus-1 (FHV-1), which commonly results in upper respiratory symptoms, and can result in death in the kittens and weak cats. Rabies is an infectious disease with zoonotic characteristics highly relevant to public health and also poses a serious threat to cats. Vaccines are the most effective method to control the spread of both FHV-1 and RABV and have the advantage that they produce long-term specific immune responses. In this study, we constructed a bivalent vaccine against FHV-1 and rabies virus (RABV) simultaneously. The vaccine was constructed by cloning FHV-1 gB into a RABV based vector, and the recombinant RABV (SRV9-FHV-gB) expressing the FHV-1 gB protein was rescued. The growth characteristics of SRV9-FHV-gB were analyzed on NA and BSR cells. To assess the immunogenicity of the vaccine, mice and cats were immunized with SRV9-FHV-gB supplemented with Gel02 adjuvant. The SRV9-FHV-gB exhibited the same growth characteristics as the parent virus SRV9 in both BSR cells and NA cells. The safety of SRV9-FHV-gB was evaluated using 5-day-old and 14-day-old suckling mice. The results showed that mice infected with the SRV9-FHV-gB survived for longer than those in the SRV9 group. Mice immunized with inactivated SRV9-FHV-gB produced high titers of specific antibodies against FHV-1 and neutralizing antibodies against RABV. Cats that received three immunizations with SRV9-FHV-gB also produced neutralizing antibodies against both FHV-1 and RABV. This study represents the first time that a bivalent vaccine targeting FHV-1 and RABV has been constructed, laying the foundations and providing inspiration for the development of other multivalent vaccines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cuicui Jiao
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Key Laboratory for Zoonosis Research of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Zoonosis, and College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, China
| | - Di Liu
- Changchun Sino Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Changchun 130012, China
| | - Hongli Jin
- Changchun Sino Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Changchun 130012, China
| | - Pei Huang
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Key Laboratory for Zoonosis Research of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Zoonosis, and College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, China
| | - Haili Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Key Laboratory for Zoonosis Research of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Zoonosis, and College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, China
| | - Yuanyuan Li
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Key Laboratory for Zoonosis Research of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Zoonosis, and College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, China.
| | - Hualei Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Key Laboratory for Zoonosis Research of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Zoonosis, and College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Yang M, Jiao Y, Li L, Yan Y, Fu Z, Liu Z, Hu X, Li M, Shi Y, He J, Shen Z, Peng G. A potential dual protection vaccine: Recombinant feline herpesvirus-1 expressing feline parvovirus VP2 antigen. Vet Microbiol 2024; 290:109978. [PMID: 38185071 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2023.109978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
Recently, herpesvirus viral vectors that stimulate strong humoral and cellular immunity have been demonstrated to be the most promising platforms for the development of multivalent vaccines, because they contain various nonessential genes and exhibit long-life latency characteristics. Previously, we showed that the feline herpesvirus-1 (FHV-1) mutant WH2020-ΔTK/gI/gE, which was safe for felines and provided efficacious protection against FHV-1 challenge, can be used as a vaccine vector. Moreover, previous studies have shown that the major neutralizing epitope VP2 protein of feline parvovirus (FPV) can elicit high levels of neutralizing antibodies. Therefore, to develop a bivalent vaccine against FPV and FHV-1, we first generated a novel recombinant virus by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated homologous recombination, WH2020-ΔTK/gI/gE-VP2, which expresses the VP2 protein of FPV. The growth characteristics of WH2020-ΔTK/gI/gE-VP2 were similar to those of WH2020-ΔTK/gI/gE, and WH2020-ΔTK/gI/gE-VP2 was stable for at least 30 generations in CRFK cells. As expected, we found that the felines immunized with WH2020-ΔTK/gI/gE-VP2 produced FPV-neutralizing antibody titers (27.5) above the positive cutoff (26) on day 14 after single inoculation. More importantly, recombinant WH2020-ΔTK/gI/gE-VP2 exhibited severely impaired pathogenicity in inoculated and cohabiting cats. The kittens immunized with WH2020-ΔTK/gI/gE and WH2020-ΔTK/gI/gE-VP2 produced similar levels of FHV-specific antibodies and IFN-β. Furthermore, felines immunized with WH2020-ΔTK/gI/gE-VP2 were protected against challenge with FPV and FHV-1. These data showed that WH2020-ΔTK/gI/gE-VP2 appears to be a potentially safe, effective, and economical bivalent vaccine against FPV and FHV-1 and that WH2020-ΔTK/gI/gE can be used as a viral vector to develop feline multivalent vaccines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mengfang Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China; Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, China
| | - Yuzhou Jiao
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China; Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, China
| | - Lisha Li
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China; Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, China
| | - Yuanyuan Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China; Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhen Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China; Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, China
| | - Zirui Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China; Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiaoshuai Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China; Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, China
| | - Mengxia Li
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China; Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, China
| | - Yuejun Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China; Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, China
| | - Junwei He
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhou Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China; Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, China.
| | - Guiqing Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China; Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine in Hubei Province, The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan, China.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Tang A, Zhu M, Zhu J, Zhang D, Zhu S, Wang X, Meng C, Li C, Liu G. Pathogenicity and immunogenicity of gI/gE/TK-gene-deleted Felid herpesvirus 1 variants in cats. Virol J 2023; 20:87. [PMID: 37143065 PMCID: PMC10157573 DOI: 10.1186/s12985-023-02053-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Felid herpesvirus 1 (FHV-1) is a major pathogenic agent of upper respiratory tract infections and eye damage in felines worldwide. Current FHV-1 vaccines offer limited protection of short duration, and therefore, do not reduce the development of clinical signs or the latency of FHV-1. METHODS To address these shortcomings, we constructed FHV ∆gIgE-eGFP, FHV ∆TK mCherry, and FHV ∆gIgE/TK eGFP-mCherry deletion mutants (ΔgI/gE, ΔTK, and ΔgIgE/TK, respectively) using the clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISP-associated protein 9 (Cas9) system (CRISPR/Cas9), which showed safety and immunogenicity in vitro. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of the deletion mutants administered with intranasal (IN) and IN + subcutaneous (SC) vaccination protocols. Cats in the vaccination group were vaccinated twice at a 4-week interval, and all cats were challenged with infection 3 weeks after the last vaccination. The cats were assessed for clinical signs, nasal shedding, and virus-neutralizing antibodies (VN), and with postmortem histological testing. RESULTS Vaccination with the gI/gE-deleted and gI/gE/TK-deleted mutants was safe and resulted in significantly lower clinical disease scores, fewer pathological changes, and less nasal virus shedding after infection. All three mutants induced virus-neutralizing antibodies after immunization. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, this study demonstrates the advantages of FHV-1 deletion mutants in preventing FHV-1 infection in cats.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aoxing Tang
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Meng Zhu
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Shanghai, 200241, China
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, China
| | - Jie Zhu
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Da Zhang
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Shiqiang Zhu
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Xiao Wang
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Chunchun Meng
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Chuangfeng Li
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Guangqing Liu
- Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Shanghai, 200241, China.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Cottingham E, Johnstone T, Hartley CA, Devlin JM. Update on feline alphaherpesvirus-1 seroprevalence in Victorian feral and owned cats. Aust Vet J 2022; 100:187-189. [PMID: 35080011 PMCID: PMC9306845 DOI: 10.1111/avj.13147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The seroprevalence of feline alphaherpesvirus‐1 (FHV‐1) in feral cats in Victoria, Australia, was last assessed in 1981 when serum‐virus‐neutralising antibodies (VNAb) against FHV‐1 were detected in 11% of the sampled population from two Victorian locations. In this current study, VNAb were assessed in serum from feral cats located in Phillip Island, Point Cook and Hattah in the Mallee region in Northern Victoria. In feral cats, the seroprevalence of VNAb to FHV‐1 was highest in Point Cook at 24.6% (17/69), followed by Phillip Island at 16.7% (11/66) and Hattah where no feral cats had detectable VNAb to FHV‐1 (0/12). In contrast, virus‐neutralising antibodies were observed in 84.1% (37/44) of Victorian‐owned cats. This higher seroprevalence in owned cats is likely due to the use of FHV‐1 vaccines; however, the vaccination history of the cats was not known and the development of neutralising antibodies after infection or vaccination can vary. The results are useful for understanding FHV‐1 exposure in feral and owned cats and are important background information in the context of any potential future use of FHV‐1‐vectored vaccines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- E Cottingham
- The Asia Pacific Centre for Animal Health
- Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - T Johnstone
- Animal Referral Hospital, Essendon Fields, Victoria, 3041, Australia
| | - C A Hartley
- The Asia Pacific Centre for Animal Health
- Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - J M Devlin
- The Asia Pacific Centre for Animal Health
- Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| |
Collapse
|