A Novel Live-attenuated Vaccine Candidate for Mayaro Fever

Overview

Journal PLoS Negl Trop Dis

Specialties Infectious Diseases
Tropical Medicine

Date 2014 Aug 8

PMID 25101995

Citations 37

Authors

William J Weise

Meghan E Hermance

Naomi Forrester

A Paige Adams

Rose Langsjoen

Rodion Gorchakov

Eryu Wang

Maria D H Alcorn

Konstantin Tsetsarkin

Scott C Weaver

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Mayaro virus (MAYV) is an emerging, mosquito-borne alphavirus that causes a dengue-like illness in many regions of South America, and which has the potential to urbanize. Because no specific treatment or vaccine is available for MAYV infection, we capitalized on an IRES-based approach to develop a live-attenuated MAYV vaccine candidate. Testing in infant, immunocompetent as well as interferon receptor-deficient mice demonstrated a high degree of attenuation, strong induction of neutralizing antibodies, and efficacy against lethal challenge. This vaccine strain was also unable to infect mosquito cells, a major safety feature for a live vaccine derived from a mosquito-borne virus. Further preclinical development of this vaccine candidate is warranted to protect against this important emerging disease.

Citing Articles

Exposure to non-endemic arboviruses (alphaviruses) in Costa Rica assessed from human samples collected in areas with contrasting levels of dengue endemicity.

Valles-Morera A, Murillo T, Lizano-Bolanos J, Gutierrez-Roche S, Alvarado M, Alfaro-Alvarado J Front Public Health. 2025; 13:1537019.

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Immunogenic recombinant Mayaro virus-like particles present natively assembled glycoprotein.

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Mayaro Virus: An Emerging Alphavirus in the Americas.

Wei L, Tom R, Kim Y Viruses. 2024; 16(8).

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