A BOVINE MODEL OF VACCINE ENHANCED RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS PATHOPHYSIOLOGY

A critical issue has been the observation that vaccination of children with a formalin-inactivated respiratory syncytial vines (RSV) vaccine is associated with disease enhancement. We have taken advantage of bo vine RSV and our experience with this disease in calves to develop a n atural model that parallels human disease, Using formalin-inactivated bovine RSV vaccine calves were either sham-vaccinated/infected, vaccin ated/infected, or. vaccinated/sham-infected and their clinical signs, pulmonary function, and histological lung lesions quantitatively score d. interestingly there was significantly greater disease in vaccinated /infected calves and histological lesions in calves were similar to th ose of affected children, Finally, we note that vaccination did not in duce neutralizing antibodies, bur Ige antibodies were detected by ELIS A, Our model of RSV enhanced disease is important because it provides quantifiable evidence of disease severity that can be applied to evalu ate the mechanisms of immunopathology and the safety of candidate RSV vaccines. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd, All rights reserved.