Abstract
To study the immune response of the chicken to specific influenza proteins, we have constructed a recombinant vaccinia virus containing the hemagglutinin gene of influenza A/Turkey/Ireland/1378/83 (H5N8). In mammalian cell culture the hemagglutinin expressed by this recombinant virus was full-length, cleaved into HA1 and HA2 in the absence of trypsin, and transported to the cell surface, confirming that other virus products are not required for cleavage activation. Chickens inoculated through the wing web with the live recombinant virus produced extremely low levels of hemagglutination-inhibiting or infectivity-neutralizing antibody. However, they were protected from lethal H5 influenza virus challenge. Protection extended to the antigenically distinct virulent H5 viruses, Chicken/Pennsylvania/1370/83 and Chicken/Scotland/59. Chemically bursectomized vaccinated chickens were not protected, whereas normal chickens with very low antibody levels (<10) obtained by passive transfer were protected in a dose-dependent fashion. This indicates that despite the low antibody titers induced by vaccination, protection was mediated by antibody.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 414-421 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Virology |
| Volume | 167 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1988 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This work was supported by USPHS Contract No, AI 52586 from the National Institutes of Health, and by American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities. We thank Bernard Moss and Karim Essani for providing needed materials. Also we thank Kimberly Cannon and Tim Thomas for technical help, and Dayna Anderson for typing the manuscript.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Virology
