The potential of a protease activation mutant of a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus for a pandemic live vaccine

SummaryThe most effective countermeasure against a pandemic originating from a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) is immunoprophylaxis of the human population. We present here a new approach for the development of a pandemic HPAIV live vaccine. Using reverse genetics, we replaced the polybasic hemagglutinin cleavage site of an H7N7 HPAIV with an elastase motif. This mutant was strictly elastase-dependent, grew equally well as the wild-type in cell culture and was attenuated in mice unlike the lethal wild-type. Immunization at 106 pfu dosage protected mice against disease and induced sterile immunity; vaccination with homosubtypic or heterosubtypic reassortants led to cross-protection. These observations demonstrate that a mutated hemagglutinin requiring elastase cleavage can serve as an attenuating component of a live vaccine against HPAIV.