Cross‐reactive antibody response to the pandemic A (H1N1) 2009 influenza virus induced by vaccination with a seasonal trivalent influenza vaccine: a longitudinal study of three influenza seasons in Japan

The cross‐reactivity of antibody to the swine‐origin pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009 virus induced by vaccination with a seasonal trivalent influenza vaccine was studied. Paired sera from a cohort of adult volunteers vaccinated with a trivalent seasonal influenza vaccine every year from 2006 to 2008 were collected each year and tested by hemagglutination inhibition (HI) for antibody against the pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009 virus. There was little increase in the geometric mean titer overall; a slight increase was detected in the sera obtained in the 2007–2008 season but not in the other two seasons. The proportion of individuals with HI antibody titers ≥ 1:40 did not change significantly from year to year. These results indicate that cross‐reactivity of the antibodies induced by a trivalent seasonal vaccine to the pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009 virus is marginal.     

抗甲型流感鸡卵黄抗体的制备及效价测定

目的:研究抗甲型流感卵黄抗体的制备与纯化,并探讨其效价随免疫时间的变化关系。方法:用灭活甲型流感病毒复合抗原免疫蛋鸡,用PEG6000对卵黄抗体进行分离提取,SDS-PAGE法对其进行分子量测定,考马斯亮蓝法对其含量和纯度进行测定,用微量凝集法检测蛋鸡血清抗体和卵黄抗体的效价。结果:提取得到的卵黄抗体重链分子量为66 kDa、轻链分子量分26 kDa,每毫升卵黄液可得到纯度为95.80%的卵黄抗体9.98mg,回收率93.01%;高效价持续时间90 d以上;免疫蛋鸡血清和卵黄中3种特异性抗体的消长规律基本相似,但抗体水平之间存在明显的差异。结论:采用灭活甲型流感病毒复合抗原免疫蛋鸡可制备高效价、高纯度抗甲型流感卵黄抗体,为卵黄抗体在甲型流感防治中的应用研究奠定了基础。     

禽流感特异性转移因子的制备及其免疫作用

目的制备禽流感病毒特异性转移因子并探讨其对禽流感灭活疫苗的免疫增效作用。方法用禽流感病毒H5N1血清亚型灭活疫苗免疫鸡,用国标血凝抑制方法检测病毒特异性血凝抑制抗体效价。当抗体效价达到高峰时,翅静脉采取外周血,分离淋巴细胞并制备细胞单层、传代后获得禽流感病毒H5N1血清亚型特异性转移因子。用所获得的特异性转移因子进行疫苗免疫增效试验。结果采用本法可获得禽流感病毒特异性转移因子。免疫增效试验表明,在进行禽流感病毒灭活疫苗免疫的同时使用禽流感病毒特异性转移因子,可在一定幅度内提高禽流感病毒抗体水平并能延长抗体维持时间。不同给药途径比较试验表明,口服途径给药的疫苗增效作用优于注射途径给药。结论通过淋巴细胞体外培养可以制备禽流感病毒特异性转移因子。禽流感病毒H5N1血清亚型特异性转移因子对禽流感病毒灭活疫苗具有明显的增效作用,且口服途径给药的疫苗免疫增效作用优于注射途径给药。     

Protection and recovery in influenza virus-infected mice immunosuppressed with anti-IgM

BALB/c mice, immunosuppressed from birth with goat anti-mouse IgM, were able to recover from influenza virus infection in the absence of detectable serum and nasal antibody. Recovery was delayed a few days when compared with control animals. Antibody-deficient mice, that had recovered from an initial influenza virus infection, i.e., convalescent mice, were subsequently rechallenged with homologous influenza virus in order to study the importance of nasal and serum antibody in prevention of infection. Convalescent mice were susceptible to reinfection when nasal and serum antibody were not detectable. The mice were resistant to reinfection when serum and/or nasal antibody was detectable by radioimmunoassay. Normal mice that were passively immunized with high titer mouse anti-influenza virus serum were susceptible to challenge with homologous influenza virus. The serum antibody levels in these mice were higher than most of those found in the immune convalescent mice suppressed with anti-IgM, thereby suggesting that the serum antibody, found in convalescent suppressed mice, is not protective. We conclude that 1) mice can recover from influenza virus infection in the absence of detectable levels of nasal and serum antibody, thus indirectly confirming the role of cell-mediated immunity in recovery; 2) serum IgM, IgG2A, IgG2B, IgG3, and probably IgG1 antibody levels are not responsible for protection against influenza virus infection of the upper respiratory tract; and 3) nasal IgA antibody correlates best with protection against reinfection of the upper respiratory tract, but some other locally protective agent cannot be excluded.     

Experimental Infections of Dogs with Type C Influenza Virus

A study was performed to determine if type C influenza infection could be established in dogs as a model for human cases. Mongrel dogs were infected with the Ann Arbor/1/50 strain of type C influenza virus and were examined for clinical symptoms, virus isolation and antibody response. After the first exposure to the virus, all infected animals developed nasal discharge and some of them also showed swelling of the eyelids, and suffusion of the eyes with tears and eye mucus, within 1 to 4 days. The animals showed an increase in hemagglutination-inhibiting (HI) serum antibody, and recovery of the agent from the nasal swabs was successful. The symptoms lasted for as long as 10 days in most infected dogs, which was comparable to our human cases reported previously (Katagiri, S., Ohizumi, A., and Homma, M. 1983. J. Infect. Dis. 48 : 51–56). After the second and third virus exposures at intervals of 50 days, all animals developed the same symptoms as those described above and the rise in antibody titer was evident. The virus could be recovered from four of the six dogs 2 to 5 days after the second exposure and from one dog as late as 10 days after the third exposure. Increases in antibody titer in the IgM fraction were observed after every infection. In control dogs which were mock-infected with UV-inactivated virus, no symptoms were evident and recovery of the virus was not successful although an increase in HI serum antibody titer was seen. These results show that mongrel dogs are sensitive to type C influenza virus and that repeated infections characteristic of human influenza C can be experimentally produced in dogs.     

Passive immunization against transmissible gastroenteritis virus in piglets by ingestion of milk of sows inoculated with attenuated virus.

Pregnant sows were inoculated with the attenuated strain, TO--163, of swine transmissible gastroenteritis virus. Suckling piglets born from them received challenge inoculation with the virulent virus at 3 days after birth, and examined for ability to prevent infection and the immunoglobulin (Ig) classes of antibody in milk. A pregnant sow was inoculated intramuscularly with a dose of 10(8.0) TCID50 and intranasally with a dose of 10(9.3) TCID50 of attenuated virus. Piglets born from it suffered from diarrhea after challenge inoculation, but none of them died eventually. Their dam was also affected with diarrhea for 4 to 7 days after challenge inoculation of them. Another pregnant sow was inoculated twice with 10(9.3) TCID50 of attenuated virus, first by the intramuscular and secondly by the intranasal route. Of nine piglets born from it, one excreted soft feces after challenge inoculation, but all survived to grow normally. Their dam manifested no clinical symptoms at all after challenge inoculation of them. The higher the titer of virus inoculated into pregnant sows, the higher the neutralizing antibody titer in serum and milk of the sows after farrowing. The puerperal sow which had received two doses of 10(9.3) TCID50 each of attenuated virus by the intramuscular and intranasal route, respectively, presented the highest neutralizing antibody titer of all the inoculated sows. This titer was 2,048 in serum and 14,183 in colostrum immediately after farrowing. In that sow IgG was the main class of immunoglobulins in neutralizing antibody in milk. Even the IgA antibody titer of that sow was higher than that of any other sow which had been administered with virus of low titer. It was 392 and 19 3 and 9 days, respectively, after farrowing.     

重配技术构建高产H1N1型流感疫苗病毒株

目的以经典重配技术制备高产H1N1流感疫苗病毒株。方法以野生型A1/云南昆明/03/2009(H1N1)作为HA及NA基因的供体株,以WHO疫苗株A/Perth/16/2009(H3N2)作为高产基因供体株,共同感染SPF鸡胚,经抗H3及抗N2血清中和筛选法及终末稀释法筛选高产重配H1N1病毒。结果获得一株重配H1N1流感病毒株,病毒血凝滴度为1∶4 096,病毒滴度为7.8 lg EID50/mL,显示为鸡胚高产病毒株;血凝抑制结果为1∶1 024,单向免疫扩散试验结果为阳性,证明抗原性与野生株一致;基因测序结果表明重配株的HA及NA基因序列与野生株序列一致。结论构建了高产重配H1H1流感疫苗病毒株,并应用经典重配技术建立了制备高产流感疫苗病毒株的技术平台。     

Recombinant IgA Is Sufficient To Prevent Influenza Virus Transmission in Guinea Pigs

A serum hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) titer of 40 or greater is thought to be associated with reduced influenza virus pathogenesis in humans and is often used as a correlate of protection in influenza vaccine studies. We have previously demonstrated that intramuscular vaccination of guinea pigs with inactivated influenza virus generates HAI titers greater than 300 but does not protect vaccinated animals from becoming infected with influenza virus by transmission from an infected cage mate. Only guinea pigs intranasally inoculated with a live influenza virus or a live attenuated virus vaccine, prior to challenge, were protected from transmission (A. C. Lowen et al., J. Virol. 83:2803–2818, 2009.). Because the serum HAI titer is mostly determined by IgG content, these results led us to speculate that prevention of viral transmission may require IgA antibodies or cellular immune responses. To evaluate this hypothesis, guinea pigs and ferrets were administered a potent, neutralizing mouse IgG monoclonal antibody, 30D1 (Ms 30D1 IgG), against the A/California/04/2009 (H1N1) virus hemagglutinin and exposed to respiratory droplets from animals infected with this virus. Even though HAI titers were greater than 160 1 day postadministration, Ms 30D1 IgG did not prevent airborne transmission to passively immunized recipient animals. In contrast, intramuscular administration of recombinant 30D1 IgA (Ms 30D1 IgA) prevented transmission to 88% of recipient guinea pigs, and Ms 30D1 IgA was detected in animal nasal washes. Ms 30D1 IgG administered intranasally also prevented transmission, suggesting the importance of mucosal immunity in preventing influenza virus transmission. Collectively, our data indicate that IgG antibodies may prevent pathogenesis associated with influenza virus infection but do not protect from virus infection by airborne transmission, while IgA antibodies are more important for preventing transmission of influenza viruses.     

A Combination of Serological Assays to Detect Human Antibodies to the Avian Influenza A H7N9 Virus

Human infection with avian influenza A H7N9 virus was first identified in March 2013 and represents an ongoing threat to public health. There is a need to optimize serological methods for this new influenza virus. Here, we compared the sensitivity and specificity of the hemagglutinin inhibition (HI), microneutralization (MN), and Western blot (WB) assays for the detection of human antibodies against avian influenza A (H7N9) virus. HI with horse erythrocytes (hRBCs) and a modified MN assay possessed greater sensitivity than turkey erythrocytes and the standard MN assay, respectively. Using these assays, 80% of tested sera from confirmed H7N9 cases developed detectable antibody to H7N9 after 21 days. To balance sensitivity and specificity, we found serum titers of ≥20 (MN) or 160 (HI) samples were most effective in determining seropositive to H7N9 virus. Single serum with HI titers of 20–80 or MN titer of 10 could be validated by each other or WB assay. Unlike serum collected from adult or elderly populations, the antibody response in children with mild disease was low or undetectable. These combinations of assays will be useful in case diagnosis and serologic investigation of human cases.     

Enhancement of influenza virus hemolysis by physical and serological treatments

The mode of hemolysis by influenza A virus was compared with that of Sendai virus. The WSN strain of influenza virus grown in either eggs or MDCK cells expressed hardly any hemolytic activity by itself. Treatment of the MDCK cell-grown WSN virus with sonication or freezing and thawing moderately enhanced the hemolytic activity, but the maximum level attainable was considerably lower than that of Sendai virus. A high level of hemolytic activity comparable to that of Sendai virus was obtained only after treatment of the virus with antibody and complement. An electron microscopic study revealed that non- or low-hemolytic WSN virions were not permeable to uranyl acetate stain in contrast with the hemolytic virions obtained after treatment with antibody and complement, indicating that the hemolytic virions had sustained some injury to their envelopes. These phenomena were comparable to those found with Sendai virus, showing that damage to the envelope is also responsible for the hemolysis of influenza virus. The influenza viruses, however, remained spherical after every treatment and the stain did not penetrate into the core of the virion. These observations suggest that the envelope of influenza virus is more rigid than that of Sendai virus but that the hemolytic process of influenza virus is nevertheless mediated through envelope-membrane fusion as in the case of Sendai virus.     

深圳市首例人感染H5N1病毒病例的实验室诊断及分子特点分析

对深圳首例疑似人禽流感病人的标本,进行了RT-PCR、Real-time PCR检测及病毒分离培养、血清中和试验、抗原比检测及发病早期不同病程多份标本的病毒载量分析;对分离物进行了HA基因、NA基因及M基因的核酸检测.结果表明:患者气管吸出物的H5N1亚型和A型流感病毒的特异核酸均呈阳性,并通过细胞培养分离到禽流感病毒A/Guangdong/2/06(H5N1)株.气管吸取物病毒载量随着病程延长逐渐减少,而血清中和抗体水平逐渐上升达到1∶160之后又缓缓下降.A/Guangdong/2/06株8个片段的核苷酸序列显示,其与2005～2006年中国南部的禽流感分离株高度同源,与越南、泰国、印度尼西亚等分离到的禽流感分离株存在明显的差异.     

H1亚型猪流感病毒抗体间接ELISA检测方法的建立及其应用

为建立H1亚型猪流感病毒抗体检测方法,扩增了H1N1亚型猪流感病毒流行株的血凝素基因HA1部分,构建原核表达载体pET30a-HA1,并转化大肠杆菌BL21表达重组蛋白。对重组蛋白包涵体进行变性、复性和Ni-NTA亲和层析纯化。以纯化后的蛋白作包被抗原,建立间接ELISA检测方法。利用该检测方法检测了2008?2009年采集的猪血清785份,阳性率为15.54％,不同省份的阳性率存在差异 (8％~47％)。以IDEXX相关试剂盒检测结果作为参照,该方法的诊断特异性达到91％,诊断敏感性达到95％。     

Diagnosis of Corynebacterium pyogenes infection in pigs by immunodiffusion test with protease antigen.

A protease antigen was prepared from the culture supernatant of Corynebacterium pyogenes by concentrating with a flash evaporator and ultrafiltration. It was adjusted to the concentration of 32 units by the single radial immunodiffusion with a tentative standard serum. In the immunodiffusion test, the antigen of 4 units reacted enough with sera having an antibody titer ranging from 1 to 128. As a result, it was decided that the antigen of 4 units should be used in the immunodiffusion test for the detection of protease antibody. By the immunodiffusion test, protease antibody was demonstrated in about 35% of 443 sera from pigs collected at random. The antibody titer showed the distribution of 2 peaks. The summits of the two peaks were seen at 4 and 32 of antibody titer, respectively. The valley between the two peaks was seen at 16 of titer. From the result, a diagnostic criterion of the immunodiffusion test was decided provisionally as follows: above 16 of antibody titer is positive, 1 to 8 suspect, and less than 1 negative. On the other hand, protease antibody was demonstrated in sera from 13 of 14 pigs carrying abscesses from which C. pyogenes had been isolated. Its titer was 8 (in 2 pigs), 16 (in 1), 32 (in 3), 64 (in 6), and 128 (in 1). From these results, it was proposed that the immunodiffusion test with protease antigen be used for the diagnosis of C. pyogenes infection in pigs.     

Swine vesicular disease viruses isolated from healthy pigs in non-epizootic period. I. Isolation and identification

A total of 524 fecal samples were collected from healthy swine of 36 hog farms scattered all over Japan from which had been detected neutralizing antibody against swine vesicular disease (SVD) virus. A virus was isolated from 21 of them. It was neutralized by antiserum against SVD virus. Of the 21 samples, 19 were derived from six farms, in areas which remained to be free from SVD in the past years and two from a farm where SVD broke out 18 months before. The cross-neutralization test was carried out with seven strains of SVD virus isolated from healthy pigs (SVDV-H) and five strains of SVD virus isolated from diseased pigs (SVDV-D). There was, however, no significant difference in antigenicity between the two groups. Some strains of SVDV-H were antigenically close to the Faulkner strain of Coxsackie B5 virus, and others to the freshly isolated strain of this virus. Neutralizing antibody of low titer against SVD virus was detected from pigs kept in areas free from SVD. It was presumed to have been produced in these pigs involved in silent infection with this virus.     

Replication and Immunogenicity of Swine,Equine, and Avian H3 Subtype Influenza Viruses in Mice and Ferrets

Since it is difficult to predict which influenza virus subtype will cause an influenza pandemic, it is important to prepare influenza virus vaccines against different subtypes and evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of candidate vaccines in preclinical and clinical studies prior to a pandemic. In addition to infecting humans, H3 influenza viruses commonly infect pigs, horses, and avian species. We selected 11 swine, equine, and avian H3 influenza viruses and evaluated their kinetics of replication and ability to induce a broadly cross-reactive antibody response in mice and ferrets. The swine and equine viruses replicated well in the upper respiratory tract of mice. With the exception of one avian virus that replicated poorly in the lower respiratory tract, all of the viruses replicated in mouse lungs. In ferrets, all of the viruses replicated well in the upper respiratory tract, but the equine viruses replicated poorly in the lungs. Extrapulmonary spread was not observed in either mice or ferrets. No single virus elicited antibodies that cross-reacted with viruses from all three animal sources. Avian and equine H3 viruses elicited broadly cross-reactive antibodies against heterologous viruses isolated from the same or other species, but the swine viruses did not. We selected an equine and an avian H3 influenza virus for further development as vaccines.     

Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine Provides Superior Protection from Heterologous Infection in Pigs with Maternal Antibodies without Inducing Vaccine-Associated Enhanced Respiratory Disease

Control of swine influenza A virus (IAV) in the United States is hindered because inactivated vaccines do not provide robust cross-protection against the multiple antigenic variants cocirculating in the field. Vaccine efficacy can be limited further for vaccines administered to young pigs that possess maternally derived immunity. We previously demonstrated that a recombinant A/sw/Texas/4199-2/1998 (TX98) (H3N2) virus expressing a truncated NS1 protein is attenuated in swine and has potential for use as an intranasal live attenuated influenza virus (LAIV) vaccine. In the present study, we compared 1 dose of intranasal LAIV with 2 intramuscular doses of TX98 whole inactivated virus (WIV) with adjuvant in weanling pigs with and without TX98-specific maternally derived antibodies (MDA). Pigs were subsequently challenged with wild-type homologous TX98 H3N2 virus or with an antigenic variant, A/sw/Colorado/23619/1999 (CO99) (H3N2). In the absence of MDA, both vaccines protected against homologous TX98 and heterologous CO99 shedding, although the LAIV elicited lower hemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibody titers in serum. The efficacy of both vaccines was reduced by the presence of MDA; however, WIV vaccination of MDA-positive pigs led to dramatically enhanced pneumonia following heterologous challenge, a phenomenon known as vaccine-associated enhanced respiratory disease (VAERD). A single dose of LAIV administered to MDA-positive pigs still provided partial protection from CO99 and may be a safer vaccine for young pigs under field conditions, where dams are routinely vaccinated and diverse IAV strains are in circulation. These results have implications not only for pigs but also for other influenza virus host species.     

Characterization of cross protection of Swine-Origin Influenza Virus (S-OIV) H1N1 and reassortant H5N1 influenza vaccine in BALB/c mice given a single-dose vaccination

Background

Influenza virus has antigen drift and antigen shift effect, vaccination with some influenza vaccine might not induce sufficient immunity for host to the threat of other influenza virus strains. S-OIV H1N1 and H5N1 influenza vaccines in single-dose immunization were evaluated in mice for cross protection to the challenge of A/California/7/2009 H1N1 or NIBRG-14 H5N1 virus.

Results

Both H1N1 and H5N1 induced significant homologous IgG, HAI, and microneutralization antibody responses in the mice, while only vaccines plus adjuvant produced significant heterogeneous IgG and HAI antibody responses. Both alum and MPLA adjuvants significantly reduced the S-OIV H1N1 vaccine dose required to elicit protective HAI antibody titers from 0.05 μg to 0.001 μg. Vaccines alone did not protect mice from challenge with heterogeneous influenza virus, while H5N1 vaccine plus alum and MPLA adjuvants did. Mouse body weight loss was also less significant in the presence of adjuvant than in the vaccine without adjuvant. Furthermore, both H1N1 and H5N1 lung viral titers of immunized mice were significantly reduced post challenge with homologous viruses.

Conclusion

Only in the presence of MPLA adjuvant could the H5N1 vaccine significantly reduce mouse lung viral titers post H1N1 virus challenge, and not vice versa. MPLA adjuvant induced cross protection with a single dose vaccination to the challenge of heterogeneous influenza virus in mice. Lung viral titer seemed to be a better indicator compared to IgG, neutralization antibody, and HAI titer to predict survival of mice infected with influenza virus.     

一株H3N2亚型猪流感病毒广东分离株的基因组序列分析

从广东省疑似流感发病猪分离到1株H3N2亚型猪流感病毒(A/Swine/Guangdong/01/2005(H3N2)),对其各个基因进行克隆与测序,并与GenBank中收录的其它猪流感、禽流感和人流感的相关基因进行比较,结果表明,HA全基因与广东2003~2004年分离的H3N2猪流感毒株的核苷酸序列同源性在99%以上,与纽约90年代末分离的H3N2人流感毒株同源性在98.5%以上;NA基因与纽约1998~2000年分离的H3N2人流感毒株的核苷酸序列同源性在99%以上;NS基因、M基因的核苷酸序列与H1N1亚型猪流感毒株A/swine/HongKong/273/1994(H1N1)的核苷酸序列同源性较高,分别为97.9%、98.4%,与美洲A/swine/Iowa/17672/1988(H1N1)的核苷酸序列同源性分别为96.7%、97.1%;其他基因的核苷酸序列与H3N2人流感毒株具有很高的同源性。因此,推测其M和NS基因来源于H1N1亚型猪流感病毒,HA、NA及其他基因均来源于H3N2亚型人流感病毒。表明此H3N2亚型猪流感病毒为H3N2亚型人流感病毒和H1N1亚型猪流感病毒经基因重排而得到的重组病毒。     

Further Isolation of a Recombinant Virus (H1N2, Formerly Hsw1N2) from a Pig in Japan in 1980

In September 1980, an outbreak of febrile respiratory disease was observed in a herd of sows (1-2 years of age) in Ehime Prefecture, Japan. Most of the swine showed clinical signs of disease such as depression, anorexia, fever, nasal discharge, and cough. A hemagglutinating agent was isolated from a nasal swab from one of the diseased pigs. By cross-hemagglutination-inhibition and neuraminidase-inhibition tests with antisera to influenza viruses of swine origin, the isolate was identified as an influenza A virus of the H1N2 (former designation, Hsw1N2) subtype, and designated A/swine/Ehime/1/80 (H1N2). Significant antibody rises against the surface antigens of the isolate were found in convalescent swine sera. The distribution of antibody against H1N2 virus in swine sera in Ehime Prefecture was examined. Seven (8%) of 93 sera collected after the outbreak (in 1981) showed antibodies to only H1 and N2 antigens but none of the sera before the outbreak contained such antibodies, indicating that H1N2 virus had been restrictedly prevalent among swine but was not wide-spread until 1981.     

Powassan virus infection in snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus)

Sera from snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) trapped near Rochester, Alberta, Canada were tested for Powassan virus antibody by the constant virus/serum dilution neutralization test. Of 1264 serum samples tested, 137 had an antibody titer of at least 1:4 for Powassan virus. Ten hares were inoculated with Powassan virus in the laboratory. Viremia lasted 4-5 days and ceased with the appearance of Powassan antibody in the serum. Neutralizing antibody reached a peak titer of 1:119 on day 15 post-inoculation and was still detectable 13 months post-inoculation.