Virus-neutralising antibody responses in horses following vaccination with Equivac® HeV: a field study.
Abstract: To determine the antibody responses to a commercial Hendra virus vaccine (Equivac® HeV) in a field environment. Methods: A group of 61 horses received a primary vaccination course comprising two doses administered 3-6 weeks apart (V1, V2) and a 3rd dose (V3) given 6 months after the second. This was followed by booster vaccinations at 12 monthly intervals (V4, V5). Antibody titres were assessed using a virus-neutralisation test. Results: Neutralising antibodies against HeV were not detected prior to vaccination. Antibodies were detected in 54/57 horses at 3 weeks after V1 and 51/51 had titres ≥ 32 at 8 weeks after V2. At 6 months after V2, antibody titres decreased in most (31/34) horses and were not detected in three horses. A rapid increase in antibody titres was recorded in 35/36 horses at 1 week following V3. By the first annual booster vaccination (V4), antibodies were still detectable in 29/29 horses, although titres had decreased; in 26/29 horses, titres remained ≥ 32. All horses showed an increase in antibody titres after V4. There was no statistically significant increase in mean antibody titre after V5, compared with after V4. Conclusions: Horses administered Equivac® HeV, using a primary vaccination course followed by annual booster vaccinations, mounted an effective secondary immune response and acquired antibody responses that were consistent with protective immunity against HeV in the form of virus-neutralising antibodies. No adverse events were observed after vaccine administration.
© 2018 Australian Veterinary Association.
Publication Date: 2018-04-25 PubMed ID: 29691855DOI: 10.1111/avj.12694Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The research paper is a field study detailing the effects of Equivac® HeV, a commercial Hendra virus vaccine, on horses’ antibody responses.
Methodology
- The study involved a sample of 61 horses which were vaccinated with Equivac® HeV. To observe the evolution of the antibody response, the vaccination regimen included:
- A primary vaccination course which had two doses administered 3-6 weeks apart (V1, V2).
- A third dose (V3) given 6 months after the second dose.
- Annual booster vaccinations (V4, V5).
- To quantify the response to the vaccine, a virus-neutralisation test was utilized to assess antibody titres.
Results
- At the beginning of the study, neutralising antibodies against the Hendra virus (HeV) were not detected.
- Three weeks after the horses received the first dose (V1), antibodies were detected in most of the horses. By eight weeks after the second dose (V2), almost all horses had detectable antibody titres.
- However, after six months post the second injection, a decrease in antibody titres was observed in most horses, and in some, antibodies were undetectable.
- Interestingly, the third vaccination (after six months) resulted in a significant boost in antibody titres in the majority of horses.
- Antibodies remained detectable up until the first annual booster vaccination (after 12 months), despite a decrease in titres.
- All horses showed an increase in antibody titres after the fourth vaccination, but the fifth round did not cause any significant increase in mean antibody titre compared to the fourth.
Conclusions
- A single primary vaccination course of Equivac® HeV was sufficient to elicit an effective secondary immune response and induce an acquisition of neutralising antibody responses in horses, implying protection against the Hendra virus.
- Despite the observed decrease in antibody titres after six months post the second immunization, subsequent vaccinations increased these titres, maintaining potential protection against HeV.
- Deducibly, an annual booster keeps the antibody levels at protective concentrations in horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Tan R, Hodge A, Klein R, Edwards N, Huang JA, Middleton D, Watts SP.
(2018).
Virus-neutralising antibody responses in horses following vaccination with Equivac® HeV: a field study.
Aust Vet J, 96(5), 161-166.
https://doi.org/10.1111/avj.12694 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- College of Public Health, Medicine and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
- Zoetis, Veterinary Medicine Research and Development, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
- CSIRO Australian Animal Health Laboratory, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
- Wellington Village Veterinary Clinic, Rowville, Victoria, Australia.
- Zoetis, Veterinary Medicine Research and Development, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
- CSIRO Australian Animal Health Laboratory, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
- College of Public Health, Medicine and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Antibodies, Neutralizing / blood
- Antibodies, Viral / blood
- Hendra Virus / immunology
- Henipavirus Infections / blood
- Henipavirus Infections / immunology
- Henipavirus Infections / prevention & control
- Henipavirus Infections / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / blood
- Horse Diseases / immunology
- Horse Diseases / prevention & control
- Horses
- Immunization, Secondary / veterinary
- Linear Models
- Schools, Veterinary
- Vaccination
- Viral Vaccines / administration & dosage
- Viral Vaccines / blood
- Viral Vaccines / immunology
Citations
This article has been cited 7 times.- McNabb L, McMahon A, Woube EG, Agnihotri K, Colling A, Broder CC, Kucinskaite-Kodze I, Petraityte-Burneikiene R, Bowden TR, Halpin K. Development and Validation of a Differentiating Infected from Vaccinated Animals (DIVA) Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) Strategy for Distinguishing Between Hendra-Infected and Vaccinated Horses. Viruses 2025 Feb 28;17(3).
- Voorzaat R, Cox F, van Overveld D, Le L, Tettero L, Vaneman J, Bakkers MJG, Langedijk JPM. Design and Preclinical Evaluation of a Nanoparticle Vaccine against Respiratory Syncytial Virus Based on the Attachment Protein G. Vaccines (Basel) 2024 Mar 12;12(3).
- Byrne PO, Blade EG, Fisher BE, Ambrozak DR, Ramamohan AR, Graham BS, Loomis RJ, McLellan JS. Prefusion stabilization of the Hendra and Langya virus F proteins. J Virol 2024 Feb 20;98(2):e0137223.
- Lawrence P, Escudero-Pérez B. Henipavirus Immune Evasion and Pathogenesis Mechanisms: Lessons Learnt from Natural Infection and Animal Models. Viruses 2022 Apr 29;14(5).
- Gómez Román R, Tornieporth N, Cherian NG, Shurtleff AC, L'Azou Jackson M, Yeskey D, Hacker A, Mungai E, Le TT. Medical countermeasures against henipaviruses: a review and public health perspective. Lancet Infect Dis 2022 Jan;22(1):e13-e27.
- Halpin K, Graham K, Durr PA. Sero-Monitoring of Horses Demonstrates the Equivac(®) HeV Hendra Virus Vaccine to Be Highly Effective in Inducing Neutralising Antibody Titres. Vaccines (Basel) 2021 Jul 2;9(7).
- Loomis RJ, Stewart-Jones GBE, Tsybovsky Y, Caringal RT, Morabito KM, McLellan JS, Chamberlain AL, Nugent ST, Hutchinson GB, Kueltzo LA, Mascola JR, Graham BS. Structure-Based Design of Nipah Virus Vaccines: A Generalizable Approach to Paramyxovirus Immunogen Development. Front Immunol 2020;11:842.
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