Scientists have discovered a universal antibody that could help vaccine developers tackle foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV).
Causing a highly contagious disease with high economic impact, FMDV affects susceptible cloven-hooved animals and fatalities may occur in young animals.
Writing in the Journal of General Virology, researchers at The Pirbright Institute who were part of this collaborative multidisciplinary study, explain how they found an antibody that recognises disrupted virus particles from all seven serotypes or strains of FMDV, providing a valuable tool for vaccine quality control and future vaccine development.
Vaccines must contain intact virus particles to ensure protection, but they are inherently unstable. The ability to detect the amount of broken virus particles is essential to ensure vaccine quality.
Professor John Hammond, Pirbright Director of Research, said: “We were able to perform a detailed structural analysis of the antibody which bound on the inside of the viral capsids – the protein shell that protects genetic material within a virus. This can only be accessed by the antibody if the capsid has been disrupted”.
“The antibody was isolated using new methods that isolate antibody producing cells from susceptible animals, in our case cattle, providing a new resource for antibody discovery which could be broadly adopted in vaccine production and research labs.”
Pirbright Group Leader, Dr Marie Di Placido, said the binding site was previously unknown, and hidden within intact viruses.
“As the antibody was found in FMDV-vaccinated cattle, it confirms that this site can drive a response that will not be protective if the vaccine contains disrupted viruses: a valuable discovery for research and vaccine quality control.”
The World Organisation for Animal Health estimates FMDV circulates in 77% of the global livestock population, in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, as well as in a limited area of South America.
Pirbright aims to make the antibody available globally through the Immunological Toolbox and potentially through a supplier if demand is high.
Dr Di Placido added: “The discovery could lead to the creation of more effective vaccines, increasing the chances of animal protection, specifically against the Southern African Territories (SAT) strains of FMDV which are prevalent in Africa.”
Researchers are continuing to analyse many other antibodies to understand their utility and potential applications.
The study brought together scientists from the Nuffield Department of Medicine, The Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford; Diamond Light Source, The Rosalind Franklin Institute, MSD Animal Health and the Chinese Academy of Medical Science (CAMS) Oxford Institute (COI).
Read the paper
Clarke, J.D., Duyvesteyn, H.M.E., Perez-Martin, E. et al. A broadly reactive ultralong bovine antibody that can determine the integrity of foot-and-mouth disease virus capsids. Journal of General Virology 105 (2024) https://doi.org/10.1099/jgv.0.002032
