Abstract
Arboviruses of the families Togaviridae and Flaviviridae are widely distributed and are important causative agents of viral encephalitis, a severe and often fatal disease. The only internationally available vaccine against these diseases is expensive and laborious to manufacture and difficult to administer. Therefore, new vaccines are required against these pathogens. This study investigates the use of a DNA-prime, orally delivered protein boost vaccination strategy against viral encephalitis. This vaccination strategy was immunogenic and provided partial protection against viral encephalitis in a murine model, demonstrating the possible applicability of this vaccination strategy for the management of endemic encephalitis.
The authors thank Scott Smith for technical assistance, David Anderson for providing the pNF plasmid, and Jenny Martin. This study was supported by grants from the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) to S.L.W. (358399).