scholarly journals H1 Hemagglutinin Priming Provides Long-Lasting Heterosubtypic Immunity against H5N1 Challenge in the Mouse Model

mBio ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. e02090-20
Author(s):  
Juan Manuel Carreño ◽  
Shirin Strohmeier ◽  
Ericka Kirkpatrick Roubidoux ◽  
Rong Hai ◽  
Peter Palese ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTInfluenza virus infections leave a signature of immune memory that influences future responses to infections with antigenically related strains. It has been hypothesized that the first exposure in life to H1N1 influenza virus imprints the host immune system, potentially resulting in protection from severe infection with H5N1 later in life through hemagglutinin (HA) stalk-specific antibodies. To study the specific role of the HA on protection against infection without interference of cellular immunity or humoral antineuraminidase immunity, we primed mice with influenza B viruses that express an H1 HA (group 1; B-H1), H3 HA (group 2; B-H3), or wild-type influenza B virus and subsequently challenged them at different time points with an H5N1 virus. Weight loss and survival monitoring showed that the B-H1-primed mice exhibited better protection against H5N1 compared to the control mice. Analysis of H5-specific serum IgG, before and 21 days after H5N1 challenge, evidenced the presence of anti-stalk H5 cross-reactive antibodies in the BH-1 group that were boosted by H5N1 infection. The increased immune responses and protection induced by priming with the B-H1 viruses lasted at least up to 1 year. Hence, a single HA priming based on natural infection induces long-lasting protective immunity against heterosubtypic strains from the same phylogenetic HA group in mice. This study gives mechanistic support to the earlier finding in humans that imprinting by H1 HA protects against H5N1 infections and that highly conserved regions on the HA, like the stalk, are involved in this phenomenon.IMPORTANCE Current studies point out that an HA-mediated immunological imprint is established early in life during the first exposure to influenza viruses, which critically shapes and biases future immune responses. However, studies in animal models are limited and the precise mechanisms of this phenomenon are under investigation. Studies that explore the effect of HA-specific immunity induced during natural infection on future exposures to heterosubtypic influenza strains are needed.

Vaccines ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magen E. Francis ◽  
Mara McNeil ◽  
Nicholas J. Dawe ◽  
Mary K. Foley ◽  
Morgan L. King ◽  
...  

Influenza virus imprinting is now understood to significantly influence the immune responses and clinical outcome of influenza virus infections that occur later in life. Due to the yearly cycling of influenza viruses, humans are imprinted with the circulating virus of their birth year and subsequently build a complex influenza virus immune history. Despite this knowledge, little is known about how the imprinting strain influences vaccine responses. To investigate the immune responses of the imprinted host to split-virion vaccination, we imprinted ferrets with a sublethal dose of the historical seasonal H1N1 strain A/USSR/90/1977. After a +60-day recovery period to build immune memory, ferrets were immunized and then challenged on Day 123. Antibody specificity and recall were investigated throughout the time course. At challenge, the imprinted vaccinated ferrets did not experience significant disease, while naïve-vaccinated ferrets had significant weight loss. Haemagglutination inhibition assays showed that imprinted ferrets had a more robust antibody response post vaccination and increased virus neutralization activity. Imprinted-vaccinated animals had increased virus-specific IgG antibodies compared to the other experimental groups, suggesting B-cell maturity and plasticity at vaccination. These results should be considered when designing the next generation of influenza vaccines.


Author(s):  
Magen E. Francis ◽  
Mara McNeil ◽  
Nicholas J. Dawe ◽  
Mary K. Foley ◽  
Morgan L. King ◽  
...  

Influenza virus imprinting is now understood to significantly the influence immune responses and clinical outcome of influenza virus infections that occur later in life. Due to the yearly cycling of influenza viruses, humans are imprinted with the circulating virus of their birth year to subsequently build a complex influenza virus immune history but very little is known about how the imprinting strain influences vaccine responses. To investigate the imprinted host immune responses to split-virion vaccination, we imprinted ferrets with a sublethal dose of the historical seasonal H1N1 strain A/USSR/90/1977. After a +60 day recovery period was given to build immune memory, ferrets were immunized and the challenge at Day 123. Samples were collected throughout the time course and immunological assays were performed to investigate recall mechanisms. The preimmune-vaccinated ferrets did not experience significant disease during challenge while naïve-vaccinated ferrets had severe disease. Hemagglutination inhibition assays showed preimmune ferrets had a more robust antibody response post vaccination, increased virus neutralization activity. Virus specific immunoglobulins were of predominantly the IgG isotype suggesting B cell maturity and plasticity at vaccination. These results are important and should be considered for vaccine design.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akari Hanada ◽  
Ryosuke Morimoto ◽  
Yuka Horio ◽  
Mototada Shichiri ◽  
Ayaka Nakashima ◽  
...  

Abstract We previously demonstrated the anti-influenza activity of Citrullus lanatus var. citroides (wild watermelon, WWM); however, the active ingredient was unknown. Here, we performed metabolomic analysis to evaluate the ingredients of WWM associated with antiviral activity. Many low-molecular-weight compounds were identified, with flavonoids accounting for 3% of all the compounds in WWM juice. Prenylated flavonoids accounted for 13% of the flavonoids. Among the ingredients, 8-prenylnaringenin exhibited the highest antiviral activity. We synthesized 8-prenylnaringenin and used liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to quantitate the active ingredient in WWM. The antiviral activities of 8-prenylnaringenin were observed against H1N1 influenza subtypes, including oseltamivir-resistant H1N1 viruses, but not against an influenza B virus. Moreover, 8-prenylnaringenin was found to inhibit virus adsorption and late-stage virus replication, suggesting that the mechanisms of action of 8-prenylnaringenin may differ from those of amantadine and oseltamivir. This is the first report on the anti-influenza virus activity of 8-prenylnaringenin. Our results highlight the potential of WWM in developing effective prophylactic and therapeutic approaches against influenza viruses.


Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 793
Author(s):  
Ying Huang ◽  
Monique S. França ◽  
James D. Allen ◽  
Hua Shi ◽  
Ted M. Ross

Vaccination is the best way to prevent influenza virus infections, but the diversity of antigenically distinct isolates is a persistent challenge for vaccine development. In order to conquer the antigenic variability and improve influenza virus vaccine efficacy, our research group has developed computationally optimized broadly reactive antigens (COBRAs) in the form of recombinant hemagglutinins (rHAs) to elicit broader immune responses. However, previous COBRA H1N1 vaccines do not elicit immune responses that neutralize H1N1 virus strains in circulation during the recent years. In order to update our COBRA vaccine, two new candidate COBRA HA vaccines, Y2 and Y4, were generated using a new seasonal-based COBRA methodology derived from H1N1 isolates that circulated during 2013–2019. In this study, the effectiveness of COBRA Y2 and Y4 vaccines were evaluated in mice, and the elicited immune responses were compared to those generated by historical H1 COBRA HA and wild-type H1N1 HA vaccines. Mice vaccinated with the next generation COBRA HA vaccines effectively protected against morbidity and mortality after infection with H1N1 influenza viruses. The antibodies elicited by the COBRA HA vaccines were highly cross-reactive with influenza A (H1N1) pdm09-like viruses isolated from 2009 to 2021, especially with the most recent circulating viruses from 2019 to 2021. Furthermore, viral loads in lungs of mice vaccinated with Y2 and Y4 were dramatically reduced to low or undetectable levels, resulting in minimal lung injury compared to wild-type HA vaccines following H1N1 influenza virus infection.


1978 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Masurel ◽  
J. I. de Bruijne ◽  
H. A. Beuningh ◽  
H. J. A. Schouten

SUMMARYHaemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibodies against the influenza viruses A/Hong Kong/8/68 (H3N2) and B/Nederland/77/66 were determined in 420 paired sera from mothers and newborns (umbilical cord sera), sampled in 1970–1.A higher concentration of antibodies against influenza A virus was found more frequently in neonatal than in maternal sera. By contrast, low titres against influenza B virus were more frequently observed in neonatal than in maternal sera. Maternal age, duration of pregnancy, and birth-weight did not affect the results of the tests.It is suggested that the titre of the newborn against an epidemic influenza virus can be predicted from that of the mother. Furthermore, the maternal titre may be an indication of the susceptibility of the newborn infant to influenza infections.


2021 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-25
Author(s):  
Malík Ivan ◽  
Čižmárik Jozef ◽  
Kováč Gustáv ◽  
Pecháčová Mária ◽  
Hudecová Lucia

Since the beginning of the outbreak, a large number of clinical trials have been registered worldwide, and thousands of drugs have been investigated to face new health emergency of highly contagious COVID-19 caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Drug repurposing, i.e., utilizing an approved drug for a different indication, offers a time- and cost-efficient alternative for making new (relevant) therapies available to physicians and patients. Considering given strategy, many approved and investigational antiviral compounds, alone or in various relevant combinations, used in the past to fight Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-1, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1, or Influenza viruses are being evaluated against the SARS-CoV-2. Triazavirin (TZV), a non-toxic broad--spectrum antiviral compound, is efficient against various strains of the Influenza A virus (Influenza Virus A, Orthomyxoviridae), i.e., swine flu (H1N1, or H3N2), avian influenza (H5N1, H5N2, H9N2, or highly pathogenic H7N3 strain), Influenza B virus (Influenza Virus B, Orthomyxoviridae), Respiratory Syncytial Virus (Orthopneumovirus, Pneumoviridae), Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus (known as Forest-Spring Encephalitis Virus; Flavivirus, Flaviviridae), West Nile Virus (Flavivirus, Flavaviridae), Rift Valley Fever Virus (Phlebovirus, Bunyaviridae), and Herpes viruses (Simplexviruses, Herpesviridae) as well. In regard to COVID-19, the molecule probably reduced inflammatory reactions, thus limiting the damage to vital organs and reducing the need for therapeutic support, respectively. In addition, in silico computational methods indicated relatively satisfactory binding affinities of the TZV ligand to both structural (E)- and (S)-proteins, non-structural 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3-CLpro) of SARS-CoV-2 as well as human angiotensin-I converting enzyme-2 (ACE-2). The interactions between TZV and given viral structures or the ACE-2 receptor for SARS-CoV-2 might effectively block both the entry of the pathogen into a host cell and its replication. Promising treatment patterns of COVID-19 positive patients might be also based on a suitable combination of a membrane fusion inhibitor (umifenovir, for example) with viral RNA synthesis and replication inhibitor (TZV).


2020 ◽  
pp. 153537022096379
Author(s):  
Oraphan Mayuramart ◽  
Pattaraporn Nimsamer ◽  
Somruthai Rattanaburi ◽  
Naphat Chantaravisoot ◽  
Kritsada Khongnomnan ◽  
...  

Due to the common symptoms of COVID-19, patients are similar to influenza-like illness. Therefore, the detection method would be crucial to discriminate between SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus-infected patients. In this study, CRISPR-Cas12a-based detection was applied for detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), influenza A virus, and influenza B virus which would be a practical and attractive application for screening of patients with COVID-19 and influenza in areas with limited resources. The limit of detection for SARS-CoV-2, influenza A, and influenza B detection was 10, 103, and 103 copies/reaction, respectively. Moreover, the assays yielded no cross-reactivity against other respiratory viruses. The results revealed that the detection of influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2 by using RT-RPA and CRISPR-Cas12a technology reaches 96.23% sensitivity and 100% specificity for SARS-CoV-2 detection. The sensitivity for influenza virus A and B detections was 85.07% and 94.87%, respectively. In addition, the specificity for influenza virus A and B detections was approximately 96%. In conclusion, the RT-RPA with CRISPR-Cas12a assay was an effective method for the screening of influenza viruses and SARS-CoV-2 which could be applied to detect other infectious diseases in the future.


2006 ◽  
Vol 74 (5) ◽  
pp. 2562-2567 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ville T. Peltola ◽  
Kelli L. Boyd ◽  
Julie L. McAuley ◽  
Jerold E. Rehg ◽  
Jonathan A. McCullers

ABSTRACT Streptococcus pneumoniae is the leading cause of otitis media, sinusitis, and pneumonia. Many of these infections result from antecedent influenza virus infections. In this study we sought to determine whether the frequency and character of secondary pneumococcal infections differed depending on the strain of influenza virus that preceded bacterial challenge. In young ferrets infected with influenza virus and then challenged with pneumococcus, influenza viruses of any subtype increased bacterial colonization of the nasopharynx. Nine out of 10 ferrets infected with H3N2 subtype influenza A viruses developed either sinusitis or otitis media, while only 1 out of 11 ferrets infected with either an H1N1 influenza A virus or an influenza B virus did so. These data may partially explain why bacterial complication rates are higher during seasons when H3N2 viruses predominate. This animal model will be useful for further study of the mechanisms that underlie viral-bacterial synergism.


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. e1009273
Author(s):  
Valerie Le Sage ◽  
Jennifer E. Jones ◽  
Karen A. Kormuth ◽  
William J. Fitzsimmons ◽  
Eric Nturibi ◽  
...  

Human-to-human transmission of influenza viruses is a serious public health threat, yet the precise role of immunity from previous infections on the susceptibility to airborne infection is still unknown. Using the ferret model, we examined the roles of exposure duration and heterosubtypic immunity on influenza transmission. We demonstrate that a 48 hour exposure is sufficient for efficient transmission of H1N1 and H3N2 viruses. To test pre-existing immunity, a gap of 8–12 weeks between primary and secondary infections was imposed to reduce innate responses and ensure robust infection of donor animals with heterosubtypic viruses. We found that pre-existing H3N2 immunity did not significantly block transmission of the 2009 H1N1pandemic (H1N1pdm09) virus to immune animals. Surprisingly, airborne transmission of seasonal H3N2 influenza strains was abrogated in recipient animals with H1N1pdm09 pre-existing immunity. This protection from natural infection with H3N2 virus was independent of neutralizing antibodies. Pre-existing immunity with influenza B virus did not block H3N2 virus transmission, indicating that the protection was likely driven by the adaptive immune response. We demonstrate that pre-existing immunity can impact susceptibility to heterologous influenza virus strains, and implicate a novel correlate of protection that can limit the spread of respiratory pathogens through the air.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyla L. Hooker ◽  
Vitaly V. Ganusov

AbstractInfluenza viruses infect millions of humans every year causing an estimated 400,000 deaths globally. Due to continuous virus evolution current vaccines provide only limited protection against the flu. Several antiviral drugs are available to treat influenza infection, and one of the most most commonly used drugs is oseltamivir (Tamiflu). While the mechanism of action of oseltamivir as a neuraminidase inhibitor is well understood, the impact of oseltamivir on influenza virus dynamics in humans has been controversial. Many clinical trials with oseltamivir have been done by pharmaceutical companies such as Roche but the results of these trials until recently have been reported as summary reports or papers. Typically, such reports included median virus shedding curves for placebo and drug-treated influenza virus infected volunteers often indicating high efficacy of the early treatment. However, median shedding curves may be not accurately representing drug impact in individual volunteers. Importantly, due to public pressure clinical trials data testing oseltamivir efficacy has been recently released in the form of redacted PDF documents. We digitized and re-analyzed experimental data on influenza virus shedding in human volunteers from three previously published trials: on influenza A (1 trial) or B viruses (2 trials). Given that not all volunteers exposed to influenza viruses actually start virus shedding we found that impact of oseltamivir on the virus shedding dynamics was dependent on i) selection of volunteers that were infected with the virus, and ii) the detection limit in the measurement assay; both of these details were not well articulated in the published studies. By assuming that any viral measurement is above the limit of detection we could match previously published data on median influenza A virus (flu A study) shedding but not on influenza B virus shedding (flu B study B) in human volunteers. Additional analyses confirmed that oseltamivir had an impact on the duration of shedding and overall shedding (defined as area under the curve) but this result was varied by the trial. Interestingly, treatment had no impact on the rates at which shedding increased or declined with time in individual volunteers. Additional analyses showed that oseltamivir impacted the kinetics of the start and end of viral shedding and in about 20-40% of volunteers treatment had no impact on viral shedding duration. Our results suggest an unusual impact of oseltamivir on influenza viruses shedding kinetics and caution about the use of published median data or data from a few individuals for inferences. Furthermore, we call for the need to publish raw data from critical clinical trials that can be then independently analyzed.


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