Measles-based Zika vaccine induces long-term immunity and requires NS1 antibodies to protect the female reproductive tract.

Publication/Presentation Date

4-19-2022

Abstract

Zika virus (ZIKV) can cause devastating effects in the unborn fetus of pregnant women. To develop a candidate vaccine that can protect human fetuses, we generated a panel of live measles vaccine (MV) vectors expressing ZIKV-E and -NS1. Our MV-based ZIKV-E vaccine, MV-E2, protected mice from the non-lethal Zika Asian strain (PRVABC59) and the lethal African strain (MR766) challenge. Despite 100% survival of the MV-E2 mice, however, complete viral clearance was not achieved in the brain and reproductive tract of the lethally challenged mice. We then tested MV-based vaccines that expressed E and NS1 together or separately in two different vaccines. We observed complete clearance of ZIKV from the female reproductive tract and complete fetal protection in the lethal African challenge model in animals that received the dual antigen vaccines. Additionally, MV-E2 and MV-NS1, when administered together, induced durable plasma cell responses. Our findings suggest that NS1 antibodies are required to enhance the protection of ZIKV-E antibodies in the female reproductive tract.

Volume

7

Issue

1

First Page

43

Last Page

43

ISSN

2059-0105

Disciplines

Business Administration, Management, and Operations | Health and Medical Administration | Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods

PubMedID

35440656

Department(s)

Administration and Leadership

Document Type

Article

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