Abstract
Background The incidence of Japanese encephalitis (JE) has been dramatically reduced in China after the coverage of the vaccine. It is believed that the live-attenuated Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) vaccine SA14-14-2 has contributed a lot. Another vaccine that seems to have faded out of the public is an inactivated vaccine based on the JEV P3 strain, which is still considered to have certain modifiability, such as being transformed into a DNA vaccine to improve its immunogenicity. Methods In this study, the protective efficacy induced by a Japanese encephalitis DNA vaccine candidate pV-JP3ME encoding pre-membrane (prM) and envelope (E) proteins of P3 strain in BALB/c mice. The prM/E genes of the JEV P3 strain were subcloned into vector pVAX1 (pV) to construct pV-JP3ME. Results The plasmid DNA was immunized BALB/c mice, high titers of IgG antibody and neutralizing antibody (nAb) against JEV were detected. The key cytokines in splenocytes upon stimulation with JEV antigens were secreted. Finally, complete protective efficacy was generated after challenge with the JEV P3 strain in mice. Conclusions The DNA vaccine pV-JP3ME based on JEV P3 strain in this study can induce specific humoral immune and cytokine responses in mice, and provide complete protection for mice against JEV.
Low Protective Efficacy of the Current Japanese Encephalitis Vaccine against the Emerging Genotype 5 Japanese Encephalitis Virus
