Project Number: 5430-32000-001-10
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Jan 01, 2010
End Date: Sep 23, 2012

Objective:
To develop a mouse and/or hamster model for the direct comparison of attenuated and subunit RVF vaccine candidates.

Approach:
A number of attenuated vaccine candidates are being considered to control RVF. Evaluation of these candidate using the target species sheep, goats and cattle is very expensive. Therefore, the generation of a hamster model for the direct comparison of attenuated vaccine candidates would be beneficial. Mice or hamsters will be vaccinated with available candidate attenuated vaccines (MP-12, Clone 13, and/or double deletion mutant) and challenged with a virulent RVF virus. Groups of ten (10) hamsters will be vaccinated with a candidate or sham vaccine, monitored for one (1) month then challenged with a virulent RVF virus. We will attempt to import a highly virulent South African RVF virus that is genetic distinct from the usual ZH-501 challenge strain for this challenge. In addition, the hamster host immune response will characterized both by production of neutralizing immunity and by production of 2-4 standard immunological markers. The challenge studies will be repeated three times to increase the sample size and potentially the number immunological markers evaluated.