Complete protection of nonhuman primates against multi-strain Ebola and Marburg virus infections

U.S. Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases, 1425 Porter St, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland 21702-5011; Division of Biodefense Vaccines, GenPhar, Inc., 600 Seacoast Pkwy, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina 29464-30661; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Ave., BSB 201, Charleston, South Carolina 29403

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: william.pratt{at}amedd.army.mil.

	Abstract

Filoviruses (Ebola and Marburg viruses) are among the deadliest viruses known to mankind with mortality rates nearing 90%. These pathogens are highly infectious through contact with infected body fluids and can be easily aerosolized. Additionally, there are currently no licensed vaccines available to prevent filovirus outbreaks. Their high mortality rates, infectious capabilities when aerosolized, and the lack of licensed vaccines available to prevent such infectious make Ebola and Marburg viruses serious bioterrorism threats, placing them both on the Category A list of bioterrorism agents. Here we describe a pan-filovirus vaccine based on a complex adenovirus (CAdVax) technology that expresses multiple antigens from five different filoviruses de novo. Vaccination of non-human primates demonstrated 100% protection against infection by two species of Ebola virus and three Marburg virus subtypes, each administered at 1000 times the lethal dose. This study indicates the feasibility of vaccination against all current filoviruses threats in the event of natural hemorrhagic fever outbreak or biological attack.