Evaluation of the Replication, Pathogenicity, and Immunogenicity of Avian Paramyxovirus (APMV) Serotypes 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 9 in Rhesus Macaques

Khattar, Sunil K.; Nayak, Baibaswata; Kim, Shin-Hee; Xiao, Sa; Samal, Sweety; Paldurai, Anandan; Buchholz, Ursula J.; Collins, Peter L.; Samal, Siba K.

APMVs are frequently isolated from wide variety of avian species around the world and have been grouped into nine established serotypes, although two additional serotypes have been provisionally identified (Introduction). Among the nine established serotypes, APMV-1 (NDV) is the most extensively characterized due to its importance as a major pathogen of poultry. APMV serotypes 2 to 9 are frequently isolated from both domestic and wild birds, but have been largely uncharacterized until recently. NDV has been shown to infect not only avian species but also nonavian species, although its replication is restricted in non-avian hosts [29, 30] . NDV is being developed as promising viral vaccine vector for delivery of a number of antigens of animal and human pathogens [51] . However, the potential of APMV-2 to -9 as vaccine vectors for humans was not known. Previously, we demonstrated the replication of APMV-2 to -9 in hamsters and mice [4, 5] . However, low phylogenetic and anatomic relatedness between the rodent models and humans necessitate the use of more relevant models for assessment of replication and pathogenicity of APMV-2 to -9.