Influenza A viruses possessing type B hemagglutinin and neuraminidase: potential as vaccine components

Microbes Infect. 2004 May;6(6):579-83. doi: 10.1016/j.micinf.2004.02.011.

Abstract

A licensed live attenuated influenza vaccine is available as a trivalent mixture of types A (H1N1 and H3N2) and B vaccine viruses. Thus, interference among these viruses could restrict their replication, affecting vaccine efficacy. One approach to overcoming this potential problem is to use a chimeric virus possessing type B hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) in a type A vaccine virus background. We previously generated a type A virus possessing a chimeric HA in which the entire ectodomain of the type A HA molecule was replaced with that of the type B HA, and showed that this virus protected mice from challenge by a wild-type B virus. In the study described here, we generated type A/B chimeric viruses carrying not only the chimeric (A/B) HA, but also the full-length type B NA instead of the type A NA, resulting in (A/B) HA/NA chimeric viruses possessing type B HA and NA ectodomains in the background of a type A virus. These (A/B) HA/NA chimeric viruses were attenuated in both cell culture and mice as compared with the wild-type A virus. Our findings may allow an effective live influenza vaccine to be produced from a single master strain, providing a model for the design of future live influenza vaccines.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Viral / blood
  • Body Weight
  • Cell Line
  • Female
  • Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus / genetics*
  • Humans
  • Influenza A virus / genetics*
  • Influenza A virus / growth & development
  • Influenza A virus / immunology
  • Influenza B virus / genetics*
  • Influenza B virus / immunology
  • Influenza Vaccines* / immunology
  • Lung / virology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Nasal Cavity / virology
  • Neuraminidase / genetics*
  • Recombination, Genetic
  • Vaccination
  • Vaccines, Attenuated
  • Vaccines, Synthetic

Substances

  • Antibodies, Viral
  • Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus
  • Influenza Vaccines
  • Vaccines, Attenuated
  • Vaccines, Synthetic
  • Neuraminidase