Journal article
Induction of neutralizing antibody response against koala retrovirus (KoRV) and reduction in viral load in koalas following vaccination with recombinant KoRV envelope protein
npj Vaccines, Vol.3, pp.1-8
2018
PMCID: PMC6072795
PMID: 30083396
Abstract
Koala retrovirus (KoRV) infects the majority of Australia's koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) and has been linked to several life-threatening diseases such as lymphoma and leukemia, as well as Chlamydia and thus poses a threat to the continued survival of this species. While quarantine and antiretroviral drug treatment are possible control measures, they are impractical, leaving vaccination as the only realistic option. In this study, we examined the effect of a recombinant envelope protein-based anti-KoRV vaccine in two groups of South Australian koalas: KoRV infected or KoRV free. We report a successful vaccination response in the koalas with no vaccine-associated side effects. The vaccine induced a significant humoral immune response as well as the production of neutralizing antibodies in both groups of koalas. We also identified B-cell epitopes that were differentially recognized in KoRV-infected versus KoRV-free koalas following vaccination. Importantly, we also showed that vaccination had a therapeutic effect on koalas infected exogenously with KoRV by reducing their circulating viral load. Together, this study highlights the possibility of successfully developing a vaccine against KoRV infection in koalas.
Details
- Title
- Induction of neutralizing antibody response against koala retrovirus (KoRV) and reduction in viral load in koalas following vaccination with recombinant KoRV envelope protein
- Authors
- Solomon Olusola Olagoke (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health, Education and EngineeringD Miller (Author) - The University of AdelaideF Hemmatzadeh (Author) - The University of AdelaideT Stephenson (Author) - The University of AdelaideJ Fabijan (Author) - The University of AdelaideP Hutt (Author) - The University of AdelaideS Finch (Author) - Adelaide Koala and Wildlife HospitalN Speight (Author) - The University of AdelaidePeter Timms (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering
- Publication details
- npj Vaccines, Vol.3, pp.1-8
- Publisher
- Nature Publishing Group
- Date published
- 2018
- DOI
- 10.1038/s41541-018-0066-4
- ISSN
- 2059-0105
- PMID
- 30083396; PMC6072795
- Copyright note
- Copyright © The Author(s) 2018. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Health and Sport Sciences - Legacy; Centre for Bioinnovation; School of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Legacy
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99451440702621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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