Vaccines for the prevention of hantavirus fevers: An overview of results and development prospects

  INTRODUCTION. Hantavirus fevers, known as hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in Eurasia and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in the Americas, are natural focal diseases with a wide range of clinical manifestations. The causative agents are members of the genus Orthohantavirus , whose natural reservoirs are rodents of various species. There is currently no etiotropic therapy for these diseases. Specific prophylaxis through vaccination is available only in the DPRK, the Republic of Korea, and the People's Republic of China. An important objective is to provide the Russian and European markets with a relevant vaccine for HFRS prevention. Such a vaccine should be developed based on both time-proven approaches and the experience of modern developments.

Aim

Analysis of the use of existing hantavirus vaccines and the specific features of vaccines under development, as well as assessment of the prospects for creating vaccines for HFRS prevention in the Russian Federation.

Discussion

All commercially available vaccine preparations are inactivated whole-virion vaccines based on the Hantaan and Seoul viruses. The effectiveness of these preparations varies, but a significant reduction in the incidence rate in regions with mass vaccination and a low incidence of adverse events have been noted. Several inactivated whole-virion vaccines based on relevant orthohantavirus strains have been developed in Russia. Some of these developments have successfully completed preclinical studies. The spectrum of hantavirus vaccine preparations under development includes subunit vaccines, vaccines based on virus-like particles (VLPs) and viral vectors, DNA vaccines, and mRNA vaccines. The primary immunogens are the surface glycoproteins Gn and Gc of hantaviruses. The closest to implementation into clinical practice are the DNA vaccines based on the Puumala and Hantaan viruses, which have undergone clinical trials (phase I).

Conclusions

No vaccine for the prevention of hantavirus infections developed using virus-like particles (VLPs), viral vectors, or nucleic acids (DNA or mRNA) has undergone a full cycle of clinical trials or been licensed worldwide. On the contrary, well-established traditional technologies for manufacturing inactivated vaccines and their time-proven effectiveness provide a basis for their real prospects of practical application in the Russian Federation and other European countries.