Development of a neutralization assay using a vesicular stomatitis virus expressing Nipah virus glycoprotein and a fluorescent protein

• Published in: Virology (New York, N.Y.) N.Y.), 2023-10, Vol.587, p.109858-109858, Article 109858
• Main Authors: Jain, Shilpi, Lo, Michael K., Kainulainen, Markus H., Welch, Stephen R., Spengler, Jessica R., Satter, Syed M., Rahman, Mohammed Ziaur, Hossain, Mohammad Enayet, Chiang, Cheng-Feng, Klena, John D., Bergeron, Éric, Montgomery, Joel M., Spiropoulou, Christina F., Albariño, César G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies; Antibodies, Neutralizing - immunology; Antibodies, Viral - immunology; Cell Line; Cricetinae; Glycoproteins - genetics; Glycoproteins - immunology; Glycoproteins - metabolism; Henipavirus Infections - immunology; Henipavirus Infections - virology; Humans; Luminescent Proteins - genetics; Luminescent Proteins - metabolism; Neutralization assay; Neutralization Tests - methods; Nipah virus; Nipah Virus - genetics; Nipah Virus - immunology; Paramyxoviruses; Vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus - genetics; Vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus - immunology; Vesiculovirus - genetics; Vesiculovirus - immunology; Viral Envelope Proteins - genetics; Viral Envelope Proteins - immunology; Viral Envelope Proteins - metabolism; VSV-Nipah
• ISSN: 0042-6822; 1096-0341; 1096-0341
• DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2023.109858

Nipah virus (NiV) is a highly pathogenic paramyxovirus with a high case fatality rate. Due to its high pathogenicity, pandemic potential, and lack of therapeutics or approved vaccines, its study requires biosafety level 4 (BSL4) containment. In this report, we developed a novel neutralization assay for use in biosafety level 2 laboratories. The assay uses a recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus expressing NiV glycoprotein and a fluorescent protein. The recombinant virus propagates as a replication-competent virus in a cell line constitutively expressing NiV fusion protein, but it is restricted to a single round of replication in wild-type cells. We used this system to evaluate the neutralization activity of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies, plasma from NiV-infected hamsters, and serum from human patients. Therefore, this recombinant virus could be used as a surrogate for using pathogenic NiV and may constitute a powerful tool to develop therapeutics in low containment laboratories. •Neutralization with Nipah virus (NiV) requires BSL-4 laboratories.•We developed a novel neutralization assay for NiV to work in BSL-2 laboratories.•The assay uses recombinant VSV expressing NiV glycoprotein and fluorescent protein (rVSVΔG-NiV-G).•rVSVΔG-NiV-G could be propagated at large scale in cells expressing NiV–F protein.•Monoclonal antibodies, animal, and human samples were tested.