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Vaccines2021; 9(7); 731; doi: 10.3390/vaccines9070731

Sero-Monitoring of Horses Demonstrates the Equivac® HeV Hendra Virus Vaccine to Be Highly Effective in Inducing Neutralising Antibody Titres.

Abstract: Hendra virus (HeV) is a high consequence zoonotic pathogen found in Australia. The HeV vaccine was developed for use in horses and provides a One Health solution to the prevention of human disease. By protecting horses from infection, the vaccine indirectly protects humans as well, as horses are the only known source of infection for humans. The sub-unit-based vaccine, containing recombinant HeV soluble G (sG) glycoprotein, was released by Pfizer Animal Health (now Zoetis) for use in Australia at the end of 2012. The purpose of this study was to collate post-vaccination serum neutralising antibody titres as a way of assessing how the vaccine has been performing in the field. Serum neutralization tests (SNTs) were performed on serum samples from vaccinated horses submitted to the laboratory by veterinarians. The SNT results have been analysed, together with age, dates of vaccinations, date of sampling and location. Results from 332 horses formed the data set. Provided horses received at least three vaccinations (consisting of two doses 3-6 weeks apart, and a third dose six months later), horses had high neutralising titres (median titre for three or more vaccinations was 2048), and none tested negative.
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Publication Date: 2021-07-02 PubMed ID: 34358146PubMed Central: PMC8310234DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9070731Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research article investigates the effectiveness of the Hendra virus (HeV) vaccine in horses in Australia. The research indicates that the vaccine has been successful in equipping horses with high neutralizing antibody titres, thus providing indirect protection to humans against the zoonotic pathogen, given that horses are the only known source of human infection.

Introduction to Hendra Virus and the HeV Vaccine

  • The Hendra virus (HeV) is a pathogen found in Australia that can transmit from animals to humans, resulting in severe and often fatal respiratory and neurological illnesses.
  • The Equivac HeV vaccine, developed for use in horses, offers a One Health solution to this problem. By vaccinating horses–the only known source of the virus in humans–the spread of the disease to human populations is indirectly prevented.
  • The vaccine, introduced by Pfizer Animal Health (now Zoetis) in late 2012, is sub-unit-based and contains the recombinant HeV soluble G (sG) glycoprotein.

Purpose and Methodology of the Study

  • The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the HeV vaccine in horses.
  • Post-vaccination serum neutralising antibody titres — a standard measure of a vaccine’s performance — were collated and analyzed. Serum Neutralisation Tests (SNTs) were conducted on samples drawn from vaccinated horses and sent to the laboratory by veterinarians.
  • Data related to horses’ age, vaccination dates, sampling dates, and location was also gathered and analyzed. A total of 332 horses were sampled for the study.

Findings

  • The study found that horses that received at least three doses of the vaccine exhibited high neutralising titres. The median titre for horses with three or more vaccinations was 2048.
  • None of the horses that had received at least three vaccine doses tested negative, indicating a high vaccine-induced immunity against the Hendra virus.
  • The study’s results affirm the high effectiveness of the Equivac HeV vaccine in equipping horses with sufficient antibodies against the Hendra virus, thereby indirectly safeguarding human health.

Cite This Article

APA
Halpin K, Graham K, Durr PA. (2021). Sero-Monitoring of Horses Demonstrates the Equivac® HeV Hendra Virus Vaccine to Be Highly Effective in Inducing Neutralising Antibody Titres. Vaccines (Basel), 9(7), 731. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9070731

Publication

Vaccines
ISSN: 2076-393X
NlmUniqueID: 101629355
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 9
Issue: 7
PII: 731

Researcher Affiliations

Halpin, Kim
  • Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), 5 Portarlington Road, East Geelong, VIC 3219, Australia.
Graham, Kerryne
  • Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), 5 Portarlington Road, East Geelong, VIC 3219, Australia.
Durr, Peter A
  • Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), 5 Portarlington Road, East Geelong, VIC 3219, Australia.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 11 times.
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