Zhao Yanan, Chang Jianxin, Zhang Baojiang, Tong Panpan, Wang Caidie, Ran Duoliang, Su Yan
Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Xinjiang Agricultural University, 311 Nongda East Road, Ürümqi, 830052, China.
Arch Virol. 2019 May;164(5):1371-1382. doi: 10.1007/s00705-019-04201-4. Epub 2019 Mar 19.
Equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) induces serious respiratory infections, viral abortion, neurological signs, and neonatal mortality in horses. Despite the use of vaccines, EHV-1 infection also causes a high annual economic burden to the equine industry. The poor immunogenicity of and protection conferred by EHV-1 vaccines are the major factors responsible for the spread of EHV-1 infection. The present study examined the immunogenicity of a novel DNA vaccine co-expressing FliC, a flagellin protein, in Salmonella abortus equi and the gD protein of EHV-1. Mice and horses were immunized intramuscularly with the vaccine, and mice were challenged with EHV-1. Immunofluorescence and western blotting revealed that FliC and gD can be efficiently expressed in cells. This novel vaccine significantly increased gD-specific antibody and interferon gamma (IFN-γ) levels in immunized mice and horses. Compared with controls, the viral load and morbidity were markedly reduced in FliC-gD-immunized mice after they were challenged with EHV-1. Furthermore, the immunogenicity of FliC-gD in a natural host was tested. Our results indicate that vaccinated mice and horses exhibit increased humoral and improved cellular immune responses.
马疱疹病毒1型（EHV-1）可引发马的严重呼吸道感染、病毒性流产、神经症状以及新生马驹死亡。尽管使用了疫苗，但EHV-1感染每年仍给养马业带来高昂的经济负担。EHV-1疫苗免疫原性差及所提供的保护作用不足是导致EHV-1感染传播的主要因素。本研究检测了一种新型DNA疫苗的免疫原性，该疫苗共表达马流产沙门氏菌的鞭毛蛋白FliC和EHV-1的gD蛋白。用该疫苗对小鼠和马进行肌肉注射免疫，并对小鼠进行EHV-1攻毒。免疫荧光和蛋白质印迹分析表明，FliC和gD能在细胞中有效表达。这种新型疫苗显著提高了免疫小鼠和马体内gD特异性抗体及干扰素γ（IFN-γ）水平。与对照组相比，FliC-gD免疫的小鼠在接受EHV-1攻毒后，病毒载量和发病率显著降低。此外，还检测了FliC-gD在天然宿主中的免疫原性。我们的结果表明，接种疫苗的小鼠和马表现出增强的体液免疫反应和改善的细胞免疫反应。
