Adenovirus-based vaccine prevents pneumonia in ferrets challenged with the SARS coronavirus and stimulates robust immune responses in macaques

A ferret model of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV infection was used to evaluate the efficacy of an adenovirus vaccine. Animals were subjected to heterologous prime-boost using vectors from human serotype 5 and chimpanzee derived adenoviruses (human AdHu5 and chimpanzee AdC7) expressing spike protein followed by intranasal challenge with SARS-CoV. Vaccination led to a substantial reduction in viral load and prevented the severe pneumonia seen in unvaccinated animals. The same prime-boost strategy was effective in rhesus macaques in eliciting SARS-CoV specific immune responses. These data indicate that a heterologous adenovirus-based prime-boost vaccine strategy could safely stimulate strong immunity that may be needed for complete protection against SARS-CoV infection.