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. 2016 May 15;213(10):1557-61.
doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiw080. Epub 2016 Mar 3.

Prophylaxis With a Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV)-Specific Human Monoclonal Antibody Protects Rabbits From MERS-CoV Infection

Katherine V Houser  1 , Lisa Gretebeck  1 , Tianlei Ying  2 , Yanping Wang  3 , Leatrice Vogel  1 , Elaine W Lamirande  1 , Kevin W Bock  4 , Ian N Moore  4 , Dimiter S Dimitrov  3 , Kanta Subbarao  1
Affiliations

Prophylaxis With a Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV)-Specific Human Monoclonal Antibody Protects Rabbits From MERS-CoV Infection

Katherine V Houser et al. J Infect Dis. .

Abstract

With >1600 documented human infections with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and a case fatality rate of approximately 36%, medical countermeasures are needed to prevent and limit the disease. We examined the in vivo efficacy of the human monoclonal antibody m336, which has high neutralizing activity against MERS-CoV in vitro. m336 was administered to rabbits intravenously or intranasally before infection with MERS-CoV. Prophylaxis with m336 resulted in a reduction of pulmonary viral RNA titers by 40-9000-fold, compared with an irrelevant control antibody with little to no inflammation or viral antigen detected. This protection in rabbits supports further clinical development of m336.

Keywords: MERS-CoV; human mAb; m336; prophylaxis; rabbits.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Viral titers in rabbit lungs following intravenous prophylaxis with neutralizing monoclonal antibody. Rabbits received Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV)–specific human monoclonal antibody (hmAb) m336 or irrelevant control hmAb m102.4 intravenously 24 hours before intranasal infection with 105 50% tissue culture infective doses (TCID50) of EMC/2012. A, Lungs were collected on days 1 and 3 after infection, and viral titers were quantified by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction analysis. B and C, Images of hematoxylin-eosin–stained sections from a rabbit treated with the control antibody (B) or 10 mg/kg of m336 (C). Data are from 4 rabbits per group. Arrowheads and inset highlight areas of intense perivascular inflammation. All images were taken on day 3 after infection at 10× original magnification, with the inset at 40× original magnification. The black bar is equivalent to 100 µm on images 10× original magnification. **P < .005 and ***P < .001 by 1-way analysis of variance, with the Tukey multiple comparisons test. Abbreviation: eq, equivalents.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Viral titers in rabbit lungs following intranasal prophylaxis with neutralizing monoclonal antibody. Rabbits received Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV)–specific human monoclonal antibody (hmAb) m336 or irrelevant control hmAb m102.4 intranasally 24 hours before intranasal infection with 105 50% tissue culture infective doses (TCID50) of EMC/2012. A, Lungs were collected on days 1 and 3 after infection, and viral titers were quantified by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction analysis. B and C, Images of hematoxylin-eosin–stained sections from a rabbit treated with the control antibody (B) or 10 mg/kg of m336 (C). Data are from 4 rabbits per group. Arrowheads and inset highlight areas of intense perivascular inflammation. All images were taken on day 3 after infection at 10× original magnification, with the inset at 40× original magnification. The black bar is equivalent to 100 µm. **P < .005 and ***P < .001 by 1-way analysis of variance, with the Tukey multiple comparisons test. Abbreviation: eq, equivalents.
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