Complete protection against lethal challenge of novel H7N9 virus with heterologous inactivated H7 vaccine in mice

A prototype H7 influenza vaccine constructed based on the H7N7 outbreak in 2003 was tested for the protective efficacy against the novel H7N9 virus in a lethal murine challenge model. Serum samples from vaccinated mice showed significant neutralizing activity against the H7N9 virus and the mice were completely protected with no significant weight loss. The results have direct implications on how to overcome potential vaccine shortage and identify donors for immune sera for passive immunization.