Recent Developments in Vaccines against Respiratory Pathogens

A special issue of Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X). This special issue belongs to the section "Vaccines against Tropical and other Infectious Diseases".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2024) | Viewed by 9757

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Center for Food Animal Health, Department of Animal Sciences, College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
Interests: mucosal immunology; influence of human microbiome on immune system development; host-pathogen interactions; development of new generation innovative (nanotechnology based) mucosal (intranasal and oral) vaccine delivery platforms; vaccine delivery platforms evaluation in animal models (pig, poultry, rodents)

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Respiratory diseases are responsible for millions of deaths annually, with most being caused by respiratory tract infections. The most viable way to mitigate these diseases is through vaccination. Vaccine formulations and policies are constantly updated to provide protection against severe respiratory diseases as RNA viruses continue to evolve. For instance, COVID-19 mRNA vaccines were recommended in the USA in 2022, but these vaccines are being updated to protect against SARS-CoV-2 variants. Specifically, the FDA has approved a monovalent Omicron XBB.1.5 COVID-19 vaccine which targets the current circulating variant. A recently developed COVID–influenza combination vaccine entered Phase 3 clinical trials in 2023. This vaccine was developed to offer dual protection against both influenza and COVID-19 in a single shot, increasing protection during the influenza season. Additionally, in 2023, a maternal RSV vaccine was also approved that is specifically designed to protect women who are 32–36 weeks pregnant during the RSV season. These are all examples of improvements in vaccine safety and effectiveness.

We invite scholars developing or evaluating novel vaccine candidates against respiratory pathogens to submit their work to this Special Issue by July 2024.

Prof. Dr. Renukaradhya J. Gourapura
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Vaccines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • vaccine development
  • respiratory diseases
  • COVID-19 vaccine
  • influenza vaccine
  • RSV vaccine
  • respiratory tract infection prevention

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review, Other

14 pages, 4223 KiB  
Article
The Central Conserved Peptides of Respiratory Syncytial Virus G Protein Enhance the Immune Response to the RSV F Protein in an Adenovirus Vector Vaccine Candidate
by Pengdi Chai, Yi Shi, Junjie Yu, Xiafei Liu, Dongwei Li, Jinsong Li, Lili Li, Dandi Li and Zhaojun Duan
Vaccines 2024, 12(7), 807; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12070807 - 20 Jul 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1891
Abstract
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a serious human respiratory pathogen that commonly affects children, older adults, and immunocompromised individuals. At present, the design of licensed vaccines focuses on the incorporation of the pre-fusion protein (PreF protein) of RSV, as this protein has the [...] Read more.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a serious human respiratory pathogen that commonly affects children, older adults, and immunocompromised individuals. At present, the design of licensed vaccines focuses on the incorporation of the pre-fusion protein (PreF protein) of RSV, as this protein has the ability to induce antibodies that offer a high level of protection. Moreover, the G protein contains the CX3C motif that binds the chemokine receptor CX3CR1 in respiratory epithelial cells, which plays an essential role in viral infection. Therefore, incorporating the G antigen into vaccine design may prove more advantageous for RSV prevention. In this study, we developed a human adenoviral vector-based RSV vaccine containing highly neutralizing immunogens, a modified full-length PreF protein fused with the central conserved peptides of the G protein (Gcc) from both RSV subgroups trimerized via a C-terminal foldon, and evaluated its immune response in mice through intranasal (i.n.) immunization. Our results showed that immunization with Ad5-PreF-Qa-Gcc elicited a balanced Th1/Th2 immune response and robust mucosal immunity with higher neutralizing antibody titers against RSV Long and RSV B1. Importantly, immunization with Ad5-PreF-Qa-Gcc enhanced CD4+ CD25+ FoxP3+ Treg cell response and protected the mice against RSV infection. Our data demonstrate that the combination of Gcc and the PreF antigen is a viable strategy for developing effective RSV vaccines. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Developments in Vaccines against Respiratory Pathogens)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research, Other

20 pages, 1494 KiB  
Review
Advances in Dendritic-Cell-Based Vaccines against Respiratory Fungal Infections
by Nitish A. Kulkarni and Som G. Nanjappa
Vaccines 2024, 12(9), 981; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12090981 - 28 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1589
Abstract
Ever since the discovery of dendritic cells by Ralph Steinman and Zanvil Cohn in 1973, it is increasingly evident that dendritic cells are integral for adaptive immune responses, and there is an undeniable focus on them for vaccines development. Fungal infections, often thought [...] Read more.
Ever since the discovery of dendritic cells by Ralph Steinman and Zanvil Cohn in 1973, it is increasingly evident that dendritic cells are integral for adaptive immune responses, and there is an undeniable focus on them for vaccines development. Fungal infections, often thought to be innocuous, are becoming significant threats due to an increased immunocompromised or immune-suppressed population and climate change. Further, the recent COVID-19 pandemic unraveled the wrath of fungal infections and devastating outcomes. Invasive fungal infections cause significant case fatality rates ranging from 20% to 90%. Regrettably, no licensed fungal vaccines exist, and there is an urgent need for preventive and therapeutic purposes. In this review, we discuss the ontogeny, subsets, tissue distribution, and functions of lung dendritic cells. In the latter part, we summarize and discuss the studies on the DC-based vaccines against pulmonary fungal infections. Finally, we highlight some emerging potential avenues that can be incorporated for DC-based vaccines against fungal infections. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Developments in Vaccines against Respiratory Pathogens)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Other

Jump to: Research, Review

35 pages, 19515 KiB  
Systematic Review
Efficacy of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccination to Prevent Lower Respiratory Tract Illness in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
by Matteo Riccò, Antonio Cascio, Silvia Corrado, Marco Bottazzoli, Federico Marchesi, Renata Gili, Pasquale Gianluca Giuri, Davide Gori and Paolo Manzoni
Vaccines 2024, 12(5), 500; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12050500 - 5 May 2024
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 5652
Abstract
A systematic review and meta-analysis was designed in order to ascertain the effectiveness of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination in preventing lower respiratory tract diseases (LRTD) in older adults (age ≥ 60 years). Studies reporting on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were searched for [...] Read more.
A systematic review and meta-analysis was designed in order to ascertain the effectiveness of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination in preventing lower respiratory tract diseases (LRTD) in older adults (age ≥ 60 years). Studies reporting on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were searched for in three databases (PubMed, Embase, and Scopus) and the preprint repository medRxiv until 31 March 2024. A total of nine studies were eventually included, two of which were conference proceedings. Our analysis included five RCTs on five RSV vaccines (RSVpreF, RSVPreF3, Ad26.RSV.preF, MEDI7510, and mRNA-1345). The meta-analysis documented a pooled vaccine efficacy of 81.38% (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 70.94 to 88.06) for prevention of LRTD with three or more signs/symptoms during the first RSV season after the delivery of the vaccine. Follow-up data were available for RSVPreF3 (2 RSV seasons), RSVpreF (mid-term estimates of second RSV season), and mRNA-1345 (12 months after the delivery of the primer), with a pooled VE of 61.15% (95% CI 45.29 to 72.40). After the first season, the overall risk for developing RSV-related LRTD was therefore substantially increased (risk ratio (RR) 4.326, 95% CI 2.415; 7.748). However, all estimates were affected by substantial heterogeneity, as suggested by the 95% CI of I2 statistics, which could be explained by inconsistencies in the design of the parent studies, particularly when dealing with case definition. In conclusion, adult RSV vaccination was quite effective in preventing LRTD in older adults, but the overall efficacy rapidly decreased in the second season after the delivery of the vaccine. Because of the heterogenous design of the parent studies, further analyses are required before tailoring specific public health interventions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Developments in Vaccines against Respiratory Pathogens)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop