DNA vaccination before conception protects Zika virus-exposed pregnant macaques against prolonged viremia and improves fetal outcomes.

ABSTRACT: Zika virus (ZIKV) infection of pregnant women is associated with congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) and no vaccine is available, although several are being tested in clinical trials. We tested the efficacy of ZIKV DNA vaccine VRC5283 in a rhesus macaque model of congenital ZIKV infection. Most animal vaccine experiments have a set pathogen exposure several weeks or months after vaccination. In the real world, people encounter pathogens years or decades after vaccination, or may be repeatedly exposed if the virus is endemic. To more accurately mimic how this vaccine would be used, we immunized macaques before conception and then exposed them repeatedly to ZIKV during early and mid-gestation. In comparison to unimmunized animals, vaccinated animals had a significant reduction in peak magnitude a

SUBMITTER: Van Rompay KKA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7093037 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature