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Researchers at The Ohio State University has developed and tested a vaccine that employs an uncommon two-pronged approach to fighting Zika virus which is spread by mosquitoes. The single-dose vaccine, carrying the genes for two or three Zika proteins, proved effective in triggering an immune response that prevented infection by Zika virus.
In the study, the vaccine was potent, safe and highly effective, at least in the short term. Babies born to Zika-infected mothers are sometimes born with a birth defect-microcephaly. Other complications include miscarriage, stillbirth and other birth defects. Small percentage of people infected with the virus can contract Guillain-Barre syndrome, which affects the nervous system.
Presently, there’s no vaccine for preventing Zika virus, the only protection against Zika are preventative measures such as insect repellant, staying indoors and wearing long sleeves and pants. The experimental vaccine holds particular promise because it appears to afford an adequate immune response with one dose.
Researchers looked into vesicular stomatitis virus, or VSV, which is a foot-and-mouth disease in cattle. The weakened form of the virus is harmless in humans and mice. VSV has been used in other vaccines, including a successful Ebola vaccine which has been used in preventing outbreaks in humans in Africa.
Vaccines work by delivering harmless amounts of the target virus proteins to the bloodstream, allowing the body to build up immune responses that will provide protection in the event of subsequent exposure to the virus. In the experimental vaccine, VSV acts as a vehicle to deliver the genes for two or three key proteins from the Zika virus, carrying them into the mouse and expressing them inside some of the cells in the mouse so that the immune system could respond and build up a defense against Zika.
The addition of NS1 protein is an innovative approach for a vaccine – it’s a protein that is made after the Zika virus infects a cell. It’s what this bug uses to replicate itself once it’s inside the host. The study included experiments in mice with severely compromised immune systems – a necessary step to make sure that mice could get sick after infection with Zika virus. When the vaccinated mice were exposed to Zika virus, their weak immune systems fought it off swiftly and efficiently, convincing the research team that their design had worked.