Subcutaneous inoculation of a whole virus particle vaccine prepared from a non-pathogenic virus library induces protective immunity against H7N7 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus in cynomolgus macaques.

Development of H7N7 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) vaccines is an urgent issue since human cases of infection with this subtype virus have been reported and most humans have no immunity against H7N7 viruses. We made an H7N7 vaccine combining components from an influenza virus library of non-pathogenic type A influenza viruses. Antibody and T cell recall responses specific against the vaccine strain were elicited by subcutaneous inoculation with the whole virus particle vaccine with or without alum as an adjuvant in cynomolgus macaques. No significant difference was observed in magnitude of antibody responses between vaccination with alum and vaccination without alum, though vaccination with alum induced longer recall responses of CD8(+) T cells than did vaccination without alum. After challenge with a subtype of H7N7 HPAIV, the virus was detected in nasal swabs of unvaccinated macaques for 8 days but only for 1 day in the animals vaccinated either with or without alum, although the macaques vaccinated with alum showed elevated body temperature more briefly after infection. These findings demonstrated that this H7N7 HPAIV strain is pathogenic to macaques and that the vaccine conferred protective immunity to macaques against H7N7 HPAIV infection.