Clinical trials on vaccines against a rare mosquito virus showed stunning efficacy in human patients. According to the research, this new solution could work against the impacts of a series of pathogens carried by the tiny insects, including the Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV), the eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV), and the western equine encephalitis virus (WEEV).
Vaccines for Mosquito-Borne Encephalitis Viruses
NORTHAMPTON, NH - JUNE 9: Entomologist Betsy Coes identifies mosquito species at Dragon Mosquito Control June 9, 2005 in Northampton, New Hampshire. As the wet spring weather moves into the heat of summer, experts expect a mosquito explosion, some of which carry the West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE). Last year EEE killed three people in the state of Massachusetts.
The antiviral vaccine showed promising results in protecting adult patients and was received well by the system and the body without any severe complications. According to the experts, the treatment was confirmed safe and effective at neutralizing the antibody response of the subjects who were involved in the Phase 1 trials.
The vaccine was formulated by scholars from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Vaccine Research Center (NIAID-VRC), an organization under the umbrella of the National Institutes of Health.
The VEEV, EEEV, and WEEV could be transmitted to humans via bites of mosquito carriers. Alongside humans, there are other animals that are susceptible to the effects of these pathogens, including horses.
Although the equines could receive the disease brought by the mosquito-borne virus, there is still no evidence that they could pass it on to humans.
The specified mosquito viruses are not commonly detected. However, cases recorded from these pathogenic diseases include flu-like symptoms and other severe effects such as neurological conditions and even death, EurekAlert reports.
Up to this date, the rare encephalitis virus could still cause small outbreaks throughout a group of populations in the same region. Major spreads from the past were confirmed in the Americas. The most recent outbreak that occurred on the continent was the 2019 EEEV outbreak in the United States, particularly in the northeastern regions, in which the disease infected 38 individuals and killed about 15 people.
Phase 1 on Encephalitis Vaccine Trials Yield Positive Results
According to the study, the set of encephalitis viruses could all travel easily through aerosol droplets. The risk that the virus poses to public health and even national security leads to the pathogens being categorized under 'priority' status.
According to the agency's press release, director Anthony Fauci's team already warned about the possibility of the EEEV vaccine utilization for individuals with high occupational risk and are more prone to being infected by the disease, including groups from the laboratory industry and the military.
The Phase 1 clinical trials involved 30 healthy participants that had ages ranging from 18 to 50 years. Each of the individuals received one of the 6, 30, and 60-microgram doses of the new WEVEE vaccine. The treatments were administered through an intramuscular injection.
Among the participants, the highest efficacy observed was from the 30 micrograms of vaccine dosage mixed with an adjuvant. The authors said the findings will be included in further clinical trials and testing of other vaccine candidates that will be carried out in the future.
The study was published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, titled "Safety and immunogenicity of a trivalent virus-like particle vaccine against western, eastern, and Venezuelan equine encephalitis viruses: a phase 1, open-label, dose-escalation, randomised clinical trial."
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