Pre-clinical immunogenicity and efficacy trial of a recombinant hepatitis E vaccine

We have demonstrated that recombinant hepatitis E vaccine suitable for clinical evaluation was highly immunogenic and efficacious in preventing hepatitis E and even infection in rhesus macaques following intravenous challenge with three different genotypes of hepatitis E virus (HEV). Two doses of vaccine were essential for optimal protection; the two-dose regimen was more important than the formulation of the vaccine for achieving efficacy. The titers of anti-HEV that were protective in this study were quantified against a World Health Organization (WHO) standard. This permits direct comparison of the results with other studies. The results of this pre-clinical trial of a candidate hepatitis E vaccine strongly suggest that it will be highly efficacious for preventing hepatitis E in the field trial of this vaccine that is currently in progress in Nepal. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.