Group A Rotavirus Veterinary Vaccines

Abstract

Group A rotaviruses cause diarrhea in young livestock and poultry; consequently, vaccination strategies have focused on induction of active or passive immunity. Gnotobiotic pigs and calves serve as useful models to evaluate induction of active immunity by candidate animal or human rotavirus vaccines. However, live attenuated rotavirus vaccines lacked efficacy when administered orally to calves and pigs in the field, presumably because colostral antibodies inhibited vaccine virus replication. The widespread occurrence of rotavirus antibodies in colostrum led to strategies for maternal rotavirus vaccination to boost lactogenic immunity and transfer passive antibodies to the neonate via colostrum and milk. The variable success of maternal rotavirus vaccines in the field is influenced by vaccine dose, strain, inactivating agent, adjuvant, route of administration, and environmental rotavirus exposure levels. The use of genetically engineered rotavirus-like particle vaccines in cows to boost antibodies in mammary secretions shows promise. Such subunit vaccines possess potential advantages over existing vaccines.

Analysis of the Excretion Dynamics and Genotypic Characteristics of Rotavirus A during the Lives of Pigs Raised on Farms for Meat Production

“…Similar to findings in humans, RVA is also one of the most frequently detected enteropathogens associated with acute enteritis among young farm animals such as piglets and calves. RVA infections pose an economic threat to the livestock industry due to increased morbidity and mortality rates, and poor growth performance (8,20,35). Although implementing and maintaining appropriate health management practices are obviously crucial for controlling RVA-induced diarrhea in piglets and calves (8,43), there is a lack of understanding of the viral ecology within these meat animals from birth to harvest.…”

Simian Rotaviruses Possess Divergent Gene Constellations That Originated from Interspecies Transmission and Reassortment

“…These infections lead to approximately 527,000 deaths each year, the vast majority occurring in developing countries (33). RVs are also responsible for gastroenteritis in many other animal species, notably mammals and birds (16,38). RVs are members of the family Reoviridae and possess a genome consisting of 11 segments of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA).…”

Rotavirus NSP1 Inhibits Expression of Type I Interferon by Antagonizing the Function of Interferon Regulatory Factors IRF3, IRF5, and IRF7

“…Rotaviruses are an important cause of gastroenteritis in numerous species of animals, including humans (28), where these viruses represent the primary causative agent of life-threatening dehydrating diarrhea in children under the age of 5 (20). Early studies revealed that the growth of rotavirus is restricted in IFN-treated cells, but less so than other viruses, such as vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) and reovirus (19), which are noted for their increased susceptibility to the antiviral effects of IFN.…”