ARS | Publication request: IMMUNOGENICITY OF FOWLPOX VIRUS EXPRESSING AVIAN INFLUENZA VIRUS H5 GENE (TROVAC® AI) IN CATS

Submitted to: Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: August 7, 2005
Publication Date: November 1, 2005
Citation: Kemal, K., Swayne, D.E., Deborah, G., Michel, B., Amy, R., Spackman, E., Robert, N. 2005. Immunogenicity of fowlpox virus expressing Avian Influenza Virus H5 gene (Trovac® AI) in cats. Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology. 12(11):1340-1342.

Interpretive Summary: The H5N1 highly pathogenic (HP) avian influenza (AI) virus has caused severe disease and death in Asia among poultry, humans, tigers and leopards. Inactivated AI vaccines and fowlpox recombinant vaccine with H5 hemagglutinin gene have been used in poultry but no vaccines have been developed and used in humans or cats. In this study, cats were vaccinated with the fowlpox recombinant vaccine. The cats produced antibodies in their blood stream that reacted against the Asian H5N1 HPAI virus and would be protective. The vaccine described in this study and other poxvirus-vectored vaccines may be of value in preventing AI-associated morbidity and mortality in cats and other mammals.

Technical Abstract: Vaccination of cats with fowlpox virus expressing avian influenza (AI) virus H5 hemagglutinin (HA) gene (TROVAC® AI) resulted in detectable hemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibody responses to homologous A/Turkey/Ireland/1378/83 [H5N8] (A/tky/Ire/83) AI antigen. The HI antibody responses to heterologous A/Chicken/Indonesia/7/03 [H5N1] (A/ck/Indonesia/03) AI antigen were also detected in all vaccinated cats but only after booster vaccinations. The vaccine described in this study and other poxvirus-vectored vaccines may be of value in prophylaxis of AI-associated morbidity and mortality in mammals.