Preliminary Study on the Efficacy of a Recombinant, Subunit SARS-CoV-2 Animal Vaccine against Virulent SARS-CoV-2 Challenge in Cats

Author:

Morozov Igor1,Gaudreault Natasha N.1ORCID,Trujillo Jessie D.1ORCID,Indran Sabarish V.1,Cool Konner1,Kwon Taeyong1,Meekins David A.1,Balaraman Velmurugan1ORCID,Artiaga Bianca Libanori1,Madden Daniel W.1,McDowell Chester1,Njaa Bradley2,Retallick Jamie2,Hainer Nicole3,Millership Jason3,Wilson William C.4ORCID,Tkalcevic George3,Vander Horst Hanne3,Burakova Yulia3,King Vickie3,Hutchinson Kendra3,Hardham John M.3,Schwahn Denise J.3ORCID,Kumar Mahesh3,Richt Juergen A.1ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA

2. Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA

3. Zoetis, Kalamazoo, MI 49007, USA

4. Foreign Arthropod-Borne Animal Disease Research Unit, National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, United States Department of Agriculture, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a recombinant, subunit SARS-CoV-2 animal vaccine in cats against virulent SARS-CoV-2 challenge. Two groups of cats were immunized with two doses of either a recombinant SARS-CoV-2 spike protein vaccine or a placebo, administered three weeks apart. Seven weeks after the second vaccination, both groups of cats were challenged with SARS-CoV-2 via the intranasal and oral routes simultaneously. Animals were monitored for 14 days post-infection for clinical signs and viral shedding before being humanely euthanized and evaluated for macroscopic and microscopic lesions. The recombinant SARS-CoV-2 spike protein subunit vaccine induced strong serologic responses post-vaccination and significantly increased neutralizing antibody responses post-challenge. A significant difference in nasal and oral viral shedding, with significantly reduced virus load (detected using RT-qPCR) was observed in vaccinates compared to mock-vaccinated controls. Duration of nasal, oral, and rectal viral shedding was also significantly reduced in vaccinates compared to controls. No differences in histopathological lesion scores were noted between the two groups. Our findings support the safety and efficacy of the recombinant spike protein-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccine which induced high levels of neutralizing antibodies and reduced nasal, oral, and rectal viral shedding, indicating that this vaccine will be efficacious as a COVID-19 vaccine for domestic cats.

Funder

Zoetis and the AMP Core of the Center on Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases

National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility

NIAID supported Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Response

USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection Service’s National Bio- and Agro-defense Facility Scientist Training Program

Publisher

MDPI AG

Subject

Pharmacology (medical),Infectious Diseases,Drug Discovery,Pharmacology,Immunology

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