• Vaccine Name: Influenza virus DNA vaccine encoding HA from Influenza A virus (A/equine/Kentucky/1/1981(H3N8))
• Target Pathogen: Influenza virus
• Target Disease: Influenza (flu)
• Vaccine Ontology ID: VO_0004021
• Type: DNA vaccine
• Status: Research
• Antigen: Influenza A virus (A/equine/Kentucky/1/1981(H3N8)) HA hemagglutinin
• HA gene engineering:
  • Type: DNA vaccine construction
  • Description: The HA gene of Eq/KY was subcloned into the WRG eukaryotic expression plasmid (generously provided by Agracetus, Inc., Madison, WI) containing the immediate early promoter and intron A of human cytomegalovirus. The plasmid DNA vaccine construct was designated pWRGHA, and was prepared for PowderJect-XR gene gun administration by anion-exchange resin chromatography (Qiagen Inc., Chatsworth, CA) and coated onto 2.5-μm gold beads at a concentration of 1.0 μg DNA/mg gold beads (Lunn et al., 1999).
  • Detailed Gene Information: Click Here.
• DNA vaccine plasmid:
  • DNA vaccine plasmid name:
  • DNA vaccine plasmid VO ID: VO_0005002

Horse Response

• Vaccination Protocol: In the skin vaccination group, gene gun vaccination was applied at 14 nonoverlapping locations on inguinal skin and 10 on the perineum. In the skin and mucosal vaccination pony group additional mucosal vaccinations were applied at 10 locations on the ventrum of the tongue and a total of four sites on the conjunctiva and third eyelid of each pony. Each application of the gene gun delivered 0.5 μg of plasmid DNA. Hemagglutinin DNA vaccinations were administered on day 0, 63 and 138 of the experiment (Lunn et al., 1999).
• Challenge Protocol: Thirty days (day 158) after the third vaccination all ponies in the three groups were infected with Eq/KY virus and studied for another 30 days. The challenge infection was administered by first sedating each pony by intravenous administration of 0.5 mg/kg xylazine, after which ponies were inoculated with 108.5 EID50 of Eq/KY virus suspended in 2 ml of phosphate buffered saline by intranasal instillation (with a 16 gauge polyurethane catheter) into the ventral meatus of the left nostril (Lunn et al., 1999).
• Efficacy: Skin and mucosal vaccination of ponies with HA from influenza virus A/equine/Ky/1/81 provided complete protection from clinical signs of infection after challenge, while skin vaccination provided partial protection; DNA vaccination provided partial protection from viral shedding (Lunn et al., 1999).