Safety and protective efficacy of INA-inactivated Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus: Implication in vaccine development

Authors

• Anuj Sharma, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
• Paridhi Gupta, Birla Institute of Technology and Science
• Pamela J. Glass, US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious DiseasesFollow
• Michael D. Parker, US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases
• Radha K. Maheshwari, Uniformed Services University of the Health SciencesFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2011

Comments

Published in Vaccine, 29, (2011), 953–959

Abstract

We have previously shown that a hydrophobic alkylating compound, 1,5-iodonaphthyl-azide (INA) can efficiently inactivate the virulent strain of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV), V3000 in vitro. In this study, we have evaluated the safety of INA-inactivated V3000 and V3526 and the protective efficacy of INA-inactivated V3000. INA-inactivated V3000 and V3526 did not cause disease in suckling mice. RNA isolated from the INA-inactivated V3000 and V3526 was also not infectious. Immunization of adult mice with INA-inactivated V3000 induced an anti-VEEV antibody response and protected mice from virulent VEEV challenge. The protective efficacy of INA-inactivated V3000 increased with the use of adjuvants. Results suggest that inactivation of enveloped viruses by INA may occur by two independent mechanisms and the INA-inactivated VEEV elicit a protective antibody response in mice.