Comparison of heterosubtypic protection in ferrets and pigs induced by a single cycle influenza vaccine

Influenza is a major health threat, and a broadly protective influenza vaccine would be a significant advance. Signal Minus FLU (S-FLU) is a candidate broadly protective influenza vaccine that is limited to a single cycle of replication, which induces a strong cross-reactive T cell response but a minimal Ab response to hemagglutinin after intranasal or aerosol administration. We tested whether an H3N2 S-FLU can protect pigs and ferrets from heterosubtypic H1N1 influenza challenge. Aerosol administration of S-FLU to pigs induced lung tissue-resident memory T cells and reduced lung pathology but not the viral load. In contrast, in ferrets, S-FLU reduced viral replication and aerosol transmission. Our data show that S-FLU has different protective efficacy in pigs and ferrets, and that in the absence of Ab, lung T cell immunity can reduce disease severity without reducing challenge viral replication.

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Publication
Contributors
Holzer B, Morgan S B, Matsuoka Y, Edmans M, Salguero F J, Everett H, Brookes S M, Porter E, MacLoughlin R, Charleston B, Subbarao K, Townsend A, Tchilian E
Year
2018
Journal
Journal of Immunology
Volume
200
Issue
12
Pages
4068-4077
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