Vaccination with a Modified Vaccinia Virus Ankara-based vaccine protects mice from allergic sensitization.

Background: Currently, no treatment is available for food allergy and strict avoidance of the allergenic food remains the only way to manage the allergy. New strategies leading to a safe and efficacious food allergy treatment are required. Modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA), which allows high levels of expression of recombinant protein in vivo and gives rise to a Th1-biased specific immune response, was used as a prophylactic vaccine in a murine model of ovalbumin (OVA) allergy.

Methods: An MVA-OVA vector vaccine was prepared. Female BALB/c mice were vaccinated twice with a MVA-OVA vector vaccine, followed by sensitization with OVA plus alum. OVA-specific immunoglobulin E(IgE) activity was measured by mediator release from rat basophilic leukaemia cells, whereas specific IgG subclass titers were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Results: Expression of immunological active OVA in mammalian cells was demonstrated. OVA-specific IgE levels in sera from MVA-OVA-vaccinated mice were reduced and appeared delayed. The vaccine-mediated immune modulation was dose-dependent; the highest vaccine dose protected 50% of the animals from allergic sensitization. Upon sensitization, similar OVA-specific IgG1 titers were found in all mice, but the OVA-specific IgG2a antibody levels were strongly increased in MVA-OVA-vaccinated mice, signifying a Th1-biased and, non-allergic immune response.

Conclusions: Prophylactic vaccination with MVA-OVA delays and in part even prevents the onset of a successful allergen-specific sensitization. Recombinant MVA, which fulfills the requirements for clinical application, is a promising candidate vector for the development of novel approaches to allergen-specific prophylactic vaccination and specific immunotherapy.