Broad mucosal and systemic immunity in mice induced by intranasal
booster with a novel recombinant adenoviral based vaccine protects
against divergent influenza A virus
Abstract
The development of broad-spectrum universal influenza vaccines and
optimisation of vaccination strategies to address the threats posed by
pandemics and emerging influenza viruses are critical for public health.
In this study, an adenovirus type 5 vector-based influenza vaccine
carrying the hemagglutinin (HA) stem of H1, HA stem of H3, and
neuraminidase of N1 from the influenza virus was constructed. Immune
responses were evaluated in mice using various vaccination strategies:
prime-only (intramuscular [IM] or intranasal [IN]) and
prime-boost (IM+IN). Compared to the prime-only strategy, the
prime-boost strategy significantly enhanced the systemic immune
response, inducing higher levels of antigen-specific IgG, mucosal IgA,
and T cell immunity in the spleen and lungs. Furthermore, the IN
boosting strategy provided complete protection in mice challenged with
the H1N1-PR8, rgH3N2-X31, and rgH5N1-Vietnam viruses, significantly
reducing viral loads in the lungs and alleviating lung tissue
pathologies. In conclusion, this study elucidates potential avenues for
the development and application of universal influenza vaccines using
customised mucosal boosting strategies.