Recombinant Receptor Binding Domain Protein Induces Partial Protective Immunity in Rhesus Macaques Against Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Challenge()

Lan, Jiaming; Yao, Yanfeng; Deng, Yao; Chen, Hong; Lu, Guangwen; Wang, Wen; Bao, Linlin; Deng, Wei; Wei, Qiang; Gao, George F.; Qin, Chuan; Tan, Wenjie

To our knowledge, this study represents the first evaluation of the protective efficacy of a candidate subunit antigen against MERS-CoV in nonhuman primates. We observed sustained and significant antibody neutralisation and T-cell immunity in rhesus macaques in response to rRBD of MERS-CoV. Besides, the rRBD vaccination alleviated pneumonia and decreased viral load in the rhesus macaque upon challenge with MERS-CoV. In summary, our results provide insight into the immunogenicity of an rRBD subunit vaccine against MERS-CoV. All these data indicate that the subunit rRBD vaccine confers partial protection against MERS-CoV challenge in rhesus macaques, which could be useful for future MERS-CoV vaccine trials and prevention strategies. Table 2 Virus isolation in rhesus macaque tissues inoculated with MERS-CoV at 1 or 3 dpi (logTCID 50 /mL).