Vaccines against Emerging and Reemerging Viral Diseases of Humans and Animals

A special issue of Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2017) | Viewed by 51615

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Guest Editor
Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
Interests: veterinary vaccines; adenovirus; porcine reproductive and respiratory virus
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Pandemic outbreaks of influenza and AIDS have cost the lives of millions of people. These events were caused by introductions of animal viruses into the human population. More recently, animal viruses such as SARS- and MERS-coronaviruses, Ebola virus, “swine flu” (H1N1) and “bird flu” (H5N1; H7N9), Nipah and Hendra viruses have killed thousands of people worldwide. It is clear that changes in our modern society and in climate create new opportunity for viruses to emerge. Also, these changes allowed the formerly range-restricted dengue, chikungunya, West Nile and Zika viruses to reemerge among major populations worldwide. In addition, emerging and reemerging virial infections cause significant economic damage to livestock industry. For instance, porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is estimated to kill 8 million piglets in the USA in 2014. There has been an extension of the geographic range of this virus and other animal viruses such as bluetongue, Rift Valley and African swine fever virus. In combating the global threat of these diseases, vaccines are the valuable tool. This special issue of Vaccines will cover vaccine development against newly emerged and re-emerged viruses of humans and animals.

Dr. Alexander Zakhartchouk
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Vaccines
  • Viruses
  • Zika
  • Ebola
  • Dengue
  • Chikungunya
  • West Nile
  • SARS
  • MERS
  • Nipah
  • Hendra
  • pandemic influenza
  • bluetonge
  • Rift Valley
  • African swine fever
  • porcine epidemic diarrhea

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Review

9 pages, 209 KiB  
Review
Development of Zika Virus Vaccines
by Huda Makhluf and Sujan Shresta
Vaccines 2018, 6(1), 7; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines6010007 - 18 Jan 2018
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 7955
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that emerged as a global threat following the most recent outbreak in Brazil in 2015. ZIKV infection of pregnant women is associated with fetal abnormalities such as microcephaly, and infection of adults can lead to Guillain–Barré [...] Read more.
Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that emerged as a global threat following the most recent outbreak in Brazil in 2015. ZIKV infection of pregnant women is associated with fetal abnormalities such as microcephaly, and infection of adults can lead to Guillain–Barré syndrome, an autoimmune disease characterized by neurological deficits. Although there are currently licensed vaccines for other flaviviruses, there remains an urgent need for preventative vaccines against ZIKV infection. Herein we describe the current efforts to accelerate the development of ZIKV vaccines using various platforms, including live attenuated virus, inactivated virus, DNA and RNA, viral vectors, and in silico-predicted immunogenic viral epitopes. Many of these approaches have leveraged lessons learned from past experience with Dengue and other flavivirus vaccines. Full article
1903 KiB  
Review
Mechanisms of Entry and Endosomal Pathway of African Swine Fever Virus
by Elena G. Sánchez, Daniel Pérez-Núñez and Yolanda Revilla
Vaccines 2017, 5(4), 42; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines5040042 - 8 Nov 2017
Cited by 57 | Viewed by 11495
Abstract
African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) causes a serious swine disease that is endemic in Africa and Sardinia and presently spreading in Russia and neighboring countries, including Poland and recently, the Czech Republic. This uncontrolled dissemination is a world-wide threat, as no specific protection [...] Read more.
African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) causes a serious swine disease that is endemic in Africa and Sardinia and presently spreading in Russia and neighboring countries, including Poland and recently, the Czech Republic. This uncontrolled dissemination is a world-wide threat, as no specific protection or vaccine is available. ASFV is a very complex icosahedral, enveloped virus about 200 nm in diameter, which infects several members of pigs. The virus enters host cells by receptor-mediated endocytosis that depends on energy, vacuolar pH and temperature. The specific receptor(s) and attachment factor(s) involved in viral entry are still unknown, although macropinocytosis and clathrin-dependent mechanisms have been proposed. After internalization, ASFV traffics through the endolysosomal system. The capsid and inner envelope are found in early endosomes or macropinosomes early after infection, colocalizing with EEA1 and Rab5, while at later times they co-localize with markers of late endosomes and lysosomes, such as Rab7 or Lamp 1. A direct relationship has been established between the maturity of the endosomal pathway and the progression of infection in the cell. Finally, ASFV uncoating first involves the loss of the outer capsid layers, and later fusion of the inner membrane with endosomes, releasing the nude core into the cytosol. Full article
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740 KiB  
Review
Approaches and Perspectives for Development of African Swine Fever Virus Vaccines
by Marisa Arias, Ana De la Torre, Linda Dixon, Carmina Gallardo, Ferran Jori, Alberto Laddomada, Carlos Martins, R. Michael Parkhouse, Yolanda Revilla, Fernando and Jose-Manuel Rodriguez and Sanchez-Vizcaino
Vaccines 2017, 5(4), 35; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines5040035 - 7 Oct 2017
Cited by 153 | Viewed by 18068
Abstract
African swine fever (ASF) is a complex disease of swine, caused by a large DNA virus belonging to the family Asfarviridae. The disease shows variable clinical signs, with high case fatality rates, up to 100%, in the acute forms. ASF is currently present [...] Read more.
African swine fever (ASF) is a complex disease of swine, caused by a large DNA virus belonging to the family Asfarviridae. The disease shows variable clinical signs, with high case fatality rates, up to 100%, in the acute forms. ASF is currently present in Africa and Europe where it circulates in different scenarios causing a high socio-economic impact. In most affected regions, control has not been effective in part due to lack of a vaccine. The availability of an effective and safe ASFV vaccines would support and enforce control–eradication strategies. Therefore, work leading to the rational development of protective ASF vaccines is a high priority. Several factors have hindered vaccine development, including the complexity of the ASF virus particle and the large number of proteins encoded by its genome. Many of these virus proteins inhibit the host’s immune system thus facilitating virus replication and persistence. We review previous work aimed at understanding ASFV–host interactions, including mechanisms of protective immunity, and approaches for vaccine development. These include live attenuated vaccines, and “subunit” vaccines, based on DNA, proteins, or virus vectors. In the shorter to medium term, live attenuated vaccines are the most promising and best positioned candidates. Gaps and future research directions are evaluated. Full article
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505 KiB  
Review
Current Status of Rift Valley Fever Vaccine Development
by Bonto Faburay, Angelle Desiree LaBeaud, D. Scott McVey, William C. Wilson and Juergen A. Richt
Vaccines 2017, 5(3), 29; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines5030029 - 19 Sep 2017
Cited by 105 | Viewed by 13431
Abstract
Rift Valley Fever (RVF) is a mosquito-borne zoonotic disease that presents a substantial threat to human and public health. It is caused by Rift Valley fever phlebovirus (RVFV), which belongs to the genus Phlebovirus and the family Phenuiviridae within the order Bunyavirales. The [...] Read more.
Rift Valley Fever (RVF) is a mosquito-borne zoonotic disease that presents a substantial threat to human and public health. It is caused by Rift Valley fever phlebovirus (RVFV), which belongs to the genus Phlebovirus and the family Phenuiviridae within the order Bunyavirales. The wide distribution of competent vectors in non-endemic areas coupled with global climate change poses a significant threat of the transboundary spread of RVFV. In the last decade, an improved understanding of the molecular biology of RVFV has facilitated significant progress in the development of novel vaccines, including DIVA (differentiating infected from vaccinated animals) vaccines. Despite these advances, there is no fully licensed vaccine for veterinary or human use available in non-endemic countries, whereas in endemic countries, there is no clear policy or practice of routine/strategic livestock vaccinations as a preventive or mitigating strategy against potential RVF disease outbreaks. The purpose of this review was to provide an update on the status of RVF vaccine development and provide perspectives on the best strategies for disease control. Herein, we argue that the routine or strategic vaccination of livestock could be the best control approach for preventing the outbreak and spread of future disease. Full article
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