Rift Valley Fever Virus (RVFV) is a mosquito-borne viral zoonosis which causes recurrent outbreaks of acute febrile illness in humans and livestock. Sheep, goats and cattle bear the brunt of RVFV through high rates of mortality in young animals and abortion in those that are pregnant. In humans, RVFV infection mostly presents as a self-limiting febrile illness but severe disease with high case fatality rates (>30% in some outbreaks) and debilitating sequelae (e.g. impaired vision) does occur. Since its isolation in Kenya in 1930 RVFV is now endemic in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Effective licensed vaccines are available for disease control in livestock. However, despite its profound impact on human health no licensed vaccines or anti-viral therapies are currently available for use against RVFV in humans. To address this unmet need the Jenner institute are utilizing a replication-deficient chimpanzee adenovirus platform with an established human safety profile, ChAdOx1, to develop a candidate vaccine for humans. The vaccine, termed ChAdOx1-GnGc, encodes RVFV envelope glycoproteins that are targets for protective neutralizing antibodies. Single-dose immunization with ChAdOx1-GnGc alone provides solid protection from RVFV challenge in mice and multiple ruminant species. Safety and immunogenicity testing of ChAdOx1-GnGc in human phase I clinical trials will provide key data for its future licensure and use during RVFV outbreaks.
Due to the recent Ebola outbreak there has been considerable awareness of the need to fast-track vaccine development for priority diseases. RVFV is one such disease due to the zoonotic potential it has.
Dr George Warimwe will be discussing this research at the UK Veterinary Vaccinology Network Conference 2016 on 5th and 6th January 2016, Manchester.
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