Establishment of serological neutralizing tests using pseudotyped viruses for comprehensive detection of antibodies against all 18 lyssaviruses

Rabies is a zoonotic and can cause neurological disease caused by rabies lyssavirus (RABV) and other lyssaviruses. Once clinical symptoms of rabies appear, the disease is almost invariably fatal. At least seven lyssaviruses, RABV, ABLV, DUVV, EBLV-1, EBLV-2, IRKV, and MOKV, have been responsible for fatal infections in humans. Historically, for the rabies vaccine, the research has primarily focused on the cross-reactivity of RABV vaccine immune sera against other lyssaviruses. As these studies have shown, RABV vaccinations do not protect for other phylogroup lyssaviruses. Therefore, it is now important to find vaccine antigens that are effective against novel lyssavirus. The study introduced a new serological neutralizing test (NT) system using vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) pseudotypes with the glycoproteins of all 18 lyssavirus species. In this study, researchers can assess cross-reactivity of current rabies vaccines and lyssavirus glycoprotein specific antibodies against the entire range of lyssaviruses. The identification of glycoproteins that elicit cross-protective antibodies may serve as the basis for a next-generation vaccine that provides protection against a variety of lyssaviruses, not just RABV. This system will be useful to detect antibodies against lyssaviruses and evaluate their cross-reactivities for developing a future broad-protective vaccine.
(DKW)