FMD empty capsids combined with the Immunostant Particle Adjuvant -ISPA or ISA206 induce protective immunity against foot and mouth disease virus

• Published in: Virus research 2021-05, Vol.297, p.198339-198339, Article 198339
• Main Authors: Bidart, J., Mignaqui, A., Kornuta, C., Lupi, G., Gammella, M., Soria, I., Galarza, R., Ferella, A., Cardillo, S., Langellotti, C., Quattrocchi, V., Durocher, Y., Wigdorovitz, A., Marcipar, I., Zamorano, P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adjuvant6; Animals; Antibodies, Neutralizing; Antibodies, Viral; Capsid; Cattle; FMDV1; Foot-and-Mouth Disease; Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus; ISPA4; Mammals; Mice; Protection3; Vaccine5; Vaccines, Virus-Like Particle; Viral Vaccines; Virus-like particles2
• ISSN: 0168-1702; 1872-7492
• DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2021.198339

•We used FMDV strain A/Argentina/2001 Virus-like Particles (VLPs) obtained in mammalian cell cultures to formulate vaccines.•VLPs-ISPA and VLPs-ISA206 induced FMDV-specific antibody titers, VNT and virus-specific T response in a murine model.•VLPs-ISPA and VLPs-ISA206 protected 100 % of vaccinated mice.•In cattle, VLPs-ISPA and VLPs-ISA206 induced FMDV-specific antibody titers, VNT and IgG2 antibodies.•VLPs-ISPA and VLPs-ISA206 formulations elicited total and neutralizing anti-FMDV Ab titers corresponding to an Expected Percentage of Protection (EPP) above 90 % in cattle. Foot and Mouth Disease Virus (FMDV) causes economy losses and is controlled by vaccination in many countries. Vaccine formulations based on empty capsids or Virus-Like Particles (VLPs) have the advantage of avoiding the biological hazard of using infectious FMDV, albeit are poorly immunogenic. Recently, we have described that ISPA a new Immune Stimulating Complex adjuvant, is useful to improve the response against FMD of vaccines that use inactivated virus. Now, the adjuvant effects of ISPA and ISA 206 (water/oil/water) on a VLPs-based FMD vaccine were evaluated. VLPs (strain A/Argentina/2001) were obtained in mammalian cell cultures and their elicitation of an immune response against FMDV with and without ISPA or ISA 206 was evaluated in mice as a first approach. Notably, VLPs-ISPA and VLPs-ISA 206 vaccines induced protection against viral challenge in 100 % of mice, while protection induced by VLPs alone was of 40 %. Total and neutralizing FMDV antibodies were higher in the VLPs-ISPA and VLPs-ISA 206 groups compared to the VLPs group. VLPs-ISPA induced significantly higher (p < 0.001) IgG1, IgG2a, IgG2b and IgG3 titers than the VLPs vaccine. Moreover, in comparison with non-adjuvanted VLPs, VLPs-ISPA and VLPs-ISA 206 elicited an increased virus-specific T response, including higher IFNγ+/CD8 + lymphocyte production in mice. When these vaccines were tested in calves, antibody titers reached an Expected Percentage of Protection (EPP) above 90 % in the case of the VLPs-ISPA and VLPs-ISA 206 vaccines, while, in the VLPs group, EPP reached 25 %. IFNγ levels secreted by mononuclear cells of VLP-ISPA-vaccinated cattle were significantly higher than in the VLPs group. Overall, the results demonstrate that VLPs-ISPA or VLPs-ISA 206 are promising formulations for the development of a novel FMD vaccine.