Open AccessLC16m8, a Highly Attenuated Vaccinia Virus Vaccine Lacking Expression of the Membrane Protein B5R, Protects Monkeys from Monkeypox
Author(s) -
Masayuki Saijo,
Yasushi Ami,
Yuriko Suzaki,
Noriyo Nagata,
Naoko Iwata,
Hideki Hasegawa,
Momoko Ogata,
Shuetsu Fukushi,
Tetsuya Mizutani,
Tetsutaro Sata,
Takeshi Kurata,
Ichiro Kurane,
Shigeru Morikawa
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.617
H-Index - 292
eISSN - 1070-6321
pISSN - 0022-538X
DOI - 10.1128/jvi.02642-05
Subject(s) - monkeypox , virology , vaccinia , smallpox vaccine , smallpox , biology , virus , orthopoxvirus , poxviridae , immunity , vaccination , immunology , immune system , biochemistry , gene , recombinant dna
The potential threat of smallpox as a bioweapon has led to the productionand stockpiling of smallpox vaccine in some countries. Human monkeypox,a rare but important viral zoonosis endemic to central and westernAfrica, has recently emerged in the United States. Thus, even thoughsmallpox has been eradicated, a vaccinia virus vaccine that can induceprotective immunity against smallpox and monkeypox is still invaluable.The ability of the highly attenuated vaccinia virus vaccine strainLC16m8, with a mutation in the important immunogenic membrane proteinB5R, to induce protective immunity against monkeypox in nonhumanprimates was evaluated in comparison with the parental Lister strain.Monkeys were immunized with LC16m8 or Lister and then infectedintranasally or subcutaneously with monkeypox virus strain Liberia orZr-599, respectively. Immunized monkeys showed no symptoms of monkeypoxin the intranasal-inoculation model, while nonimmunized controls showedtypical symptoms. In the subcutaneous-inoculation model, monkeysimmunized with LC16m8 showed no symptoms of monkeypox except for a mildulcer at the site of monkeypox virus inoculation, and those immunizedwith Lister showed no symptoms of monkeypox, while nonimmunizedcontrols showed lethal and typical symptoms. These resultsindicate that LC16m8 prevents lethal monkeypox in monkeys, and theysuggest that LC16m8 may induce protective immunity againstsmallpox.