Protection Against Henipavirus Infection by Use of Recombinant Adeno-Associated Virus–Vector Vaccines

Ploquin, Aurélie; Szécsi, Judit; Mathieu, Cyrille; Guillaume, Vanessa; Barateau, Véronique; Ong, Kien Chai; Wong, Kum Thong; Cosset, François-Loïc; Horvat, Branka; Salvetti, Anna

Nipah virus (NiV) and Hendra virus (HeV) are closely related, recently emerged paramyxoviruses that are capable of causing considerable morbidity and mortality in several mammalian species, including humans. Henipavirus-specific vaccines are still commercially unavailable, and development of novel antiviral strategies to prevent lethal infections due to henipaviruses is highly desirable. Here we describe the development of adeno-associated virus (AAV) vaccines expressing the NiV G protein. Characterization of these vaccines in mice demonstrated that a single intramuscular AAV injection was sufficient to induce a potent and long-lasting antibody response. Translational studies in hamsters further demonstrated that all vaccinated animals were protected against lethal challenge with NiV. In addition, this vaccine induced a cross-protective immune response that was able to protect 50% of the animals against a challenge by HeV. This study presents a new efficient vaccination strategy against henipaviruses and opens novel perspectives on the use of AAV vectors as vaccines against emergent diseases.