Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
3256995 | Clinical Immunology | 2012 | 11 Pages |
Noroviruses are the most frequent cause of acute gastroenteritis in humans of all ages. No vaccines are currently available. An intranasally delivered Norwalk (NV) virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine was recently shown to be well tolerated, immunogenic and to protect against infection in Phase 1 studies. Here, we examined B memory (BM) responses in volunteers who received the highest dosage levels of the NV-VLP vaccine (50 μg and 100 μg). We measured the frequency of NV-specific IgG and IgA-secreting BM cells in peripheral blood and the level of antibodies produced by these cells in culture. All subjects immunized with 100 μg of the NV-VLP vaccine and 90% of those who received 50 μg had significant IgA or IgG BM responses. The BM cell frequencies correlated with serum antibody levels and mucosally-primed antibody-secreting cell responses. This is the first demonstration of dose-dependent, functional BM responses in humans immunized intranasally with a NV-VLP vaccine.
► We studied B memory cells in humans immunized with Norwalk virus-like particles. ► BM cell frequency was measured in blood from volunteers immunized intranasally. ► All subjects that received 100 μg of VLP developed IgG and IgA-secreting BM cells. ► BM cell responses correlated with serum antibodies and antibody secreting cells. ► This is the first report of human BM responses to an intranasal Norwalk VLP vaccine.