Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Chimeras Expressing the Oropouche Virus Glycoproteins Elicit Protective Immune Responses in Mice
Sarah H. Stubbs, Marjorie Cornejo Pontelli, Nischay Mishra, Changhong Zhou, Juliano de Paula Souza, Rosa Maria Mendes Viana, W. Ian Lipkin, David M. Knipe, Eurico Arruda, Sean P. J. Whelan
Abstract
Oropouche virus (OROV), an orthobunyavirus found in Central and South America, is an emerging public health challenge that causes debilitating febrile illness. OROV is transmitted by arthropods, and increasing mobilization has the potential to significantly increase the spread of OROV globally. Despite this, no therapeutics or vaccines have been developed to combat infection. Using vesicular stomatitis (VSV) as a backbone, we developed a chimeric virus bearing the OROV glycoproteins (VSV-OROV) and tested its ability to elicit a neutralizing antibody response. Our results demonstrate that VSV-OROV produces a strong neutralizing antibody response that is at least partially targeted to the N-terminal region of Gc. Importantly, vaccination with VSV-OROV reduces viral loads in mice challenged with wild-type virus. These data provide novel evidence that targeting the OROV glycoproteins may be an effective vaccination strategy to combat OROV infection.