Scientific Publications by FDA Staff

Nat Med 2005 Jul;11(7):740-7

Smallpox vaccine-induced antibodies are necessary and sufficient for protection against monkeypox virus.

Edghill-Smith Y, Golding H, Manischewitz J, King LR, Scott D, Bray M, Nalca A, Hooper JW, Whitehouse CA, Schmitz JE, Reimann KA, Franchini G

Franchini G, NCI, Anim Models & Retroviral Vaccines Sect, 41-D804, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA NCI, Anim Models & Retroviral Vaccines Sect, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA US FDA, Div Viral Prod, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA US FDA, Div Hematol, Ctr Biol Evaluat & Res, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA NIAID, Biodef Clin Res Branch, Off Clin Res, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA So Res Inst, Frederick, MD 21701 USA USA, Med Res Inst Infect Dis, Div Virol, Ft Detrick, MD 21702 USA Harvard Univ, Sch Med, Beth Israel Deaconess Med Ctr, Dept Med,Div Viral Pathogenesis, Boston, MA 02215 USA

Vaccination with live vaccinia virus affords long-lasting protection against variola virus, the agent of smallpox. Its mode of protection in humans, however, has not been clearly defined. Here we report that vaccinia-specific B-cell responses are essential for protection of macaques from monkeypox virus, a variola virus ortholog. Antibody-mediated depletion of B cells, but not CD4+ or CD8+ T cells, abrogated vaccine-induced protection from a lethal intravenous challenge with monkeypox virus. In addition, passive transfer of human vaccinia-neutralizing antibodies protected nonimmunized macaques from severe disease. Thus, vaccines able to induce long-lasting protective antibody responses may constitute realistic alternatives to the currently available smallpox vaccine (Dryvax).