• Vaccine Ontology ID: VO_0004021
• Type: DNA vaccine
• Status: Research
• Antigen: Influenza A virus (A/equine/Kentucky/1/1981(H3N8)) HA hemagglutinin
• HA gene engineering:
  • Type: DNA vaccine construction
  • Description: The HA gene of Eq/KY was subcloned into the WRG eukaryotic expression plasmid (generously provided by Agracetus, Inc., Madison, WI) containing the immediate early promoter and intron A of human cytomegalovirus. The plasmid DNA vaccine construct was designated pWRGHA, and was prepared for PowderJect-XR gene gun administration by anion-exchange resin chromatography (Qiagen Inc., Chatsworth, CA) and coated onto 2.5-μm gold beads at a concentration of 1.0 μg DNA/mg gold beads (Lunn et al., 1999).
  • Detailed Gene Information: Click Here.
• Vector: pWRG eukaryotic expression plasmid (Agracetus, Inc., Madison, WI)

• Vaccine Ontology ID: VO_0004167
• Type: DNA vaccine
• Status: Research
• Antigen: Equine influenza virus H3N8 hemagglutinin HA
• HA gene engineering:
  • Type: DNA vaccine construction
  • Description: The HA gene of Eq/KY was subcloned into the WRG eukaryotic expression plasmid (generously provided by Agracetus, Inc., Madison, WI) containing the immediate early promoter and intron A of human cytomegalovirus. The plasmid DNA vaccine construct was designated pWRGHA, and was prepared for PowderJect-XR gene gun administration by anion-exchange resin chromatography (Qiagen Inc., Chatsworth, CA) and coated onto 2.5-μm gold beads at a concentration of 1.0 μg DNA/mg gold beads (Lunn et al., 1999).
  • Detailed Gene Information: Click Here.
• Vector: pWRG (Lunn et al., 1999)

• Vaccine Ontology ID: VO_0002981
• Type: Live, attenuated vaccine
• Status: Research
• Host Species as Laboratory Animal Model: Mouse, pig, horse, macaque
• NS1 from Influenza virus gene engineering:
  • Type: Gene mutation
  • Description: This NS1 mutant is from influenza virus (Richt and García-Sastre, 2009).
  • Detailed Gene Information: Click Here.
• Immunization Route: intranasal immunization

Mouse Response

• Persistence: An NS1 mutant is attenuated in mice (Richt and García-Sastre, 2009).
• Efficacy: An NS1 mutant induces significant protection in mice from challenge with wild type influenza virus (Richt and García-Sastre, 2009).

Pig Response

• Persistence: An NS1 mutant is attenuated in pigs (Richt and García-Sastre, 2009).
• Efficacy: An NS1 mutant induces significant protection in pigs from challenge with wild type influenza virus (Richt and García-Sastre, 2009).

Horse Response

• Vaccination Protocol: In the skin vaccination group, gene gun vaccination was applied at 14 nonoverlapping locations on inguinal skin and 10 on the perineum. In the skin and mucosal vaccination pony group additional mucosal vaccinations were applied at 10 locations on the ventrum of the tongue and a total of four sites on the conjunctiva and third eyelid of each pony. Each application of the gene gun delivered 0.5 μg of plasmid DNA. Hemagglutinin DNA vaccinations were administered on day 0, 63 and 138 of the experiment (Lunn et al., 1999).
• Challenge Protocol: Thirty days (day 158) after the third vaccination all ponies in the three groups were infected with Eq/KY virus and studied for another 30 days. The challenge infection was administered by first sedating each pony by intravenous administration of 0.5 mg/kg xylazine, after which ponies were inoculated with 108.5 EID50 of Eq/KY virus suspended in 2 ml of phosphate buffered saline by intranasal instillation (with a 16 gauge polyurethane catheter) into the ventral meatus of the left nostril (Lunn et al., 1999).
• Efficacy: Skin and mucosal vaccination of ponies with HA from influenza virus A/equine/Ky/1/81 provided complete protection from clinical signs of infection after challenge, while skin vaccination provided partial protection; DNA vaccination provided partial protection from viral shedding (Lunn et al., 1999).

Horse Response

• Vaccination Protocol: Three experimental pony groups were established with four ponies in each group. The two vaccinated groups include ponies which received pWRGHA vaccination at skin sites only, and a second group in which pWRGHA vaccination was administered to both skin and mucosal sites. The third group was a control group of unvaccinated ponies which was introduced to the experiment 20 days prior to challenge infection (Lunn et al., 1999).
• Challenge Protocol: The challenge infection was administered by first sedating each pony by intravenous administration of 0.5 mg/kg xylazine, after which ponies were inoculated with 10^8.5 EID50 of Eq/KY virus suspended in 2 ml of phosphate buffered saline by intranasal instillation (with a 16 gauge polyurethane catheter) into the ventral meatus of the left nostril.
• Efficacy: Skin and mucosal vaccination of ponies with a DNA vaccine expressing the HA protein in Equine influenza virus H3N8 provided complete protection from clinical signs of infection with ponies subjected to a challenge infection of Equine influenza virus, while skin vaccination provided partial protection. This DNA vaccination also provided partial protection from viral shedding (Lunn et al., 1999).

Horse Response

• Persistence: An NS1 mutant is attenuated in horses (Richt and García-Sastre, 2009).
• Efficacy: An NS1 mutant induces significant protection in horses from challenge with wild type influenza virus (Richt and García-Sastre, 2009).

Macaque Response

• Persistence: An NS1 mutant is attenuated in macaques (Richt and García-Sastre, 2009).
• Efficacy: An NS1 mutant induces significant protection in macaques from challenge with wild type influenza virus (Richt and García-Sastre, 2009).