Single-Dose Immunization with Virus Replicon Particles Confers Rapid Robust Protection against Rift Valley Fever Virus Challenge

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) causes outbreaks of severe disease in people and livestock throughout Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. The potential for RVFV introduction outside the area of endemicity highlights the need for fast-acting, safe, and efficacious vaccines. Here, we demonstrate a robust system for the reverse genetics generation of a RVF virus replicon particle (VRPRVF) vaccine candidate. Using a mouse model, we show that VRPRVF immunization provides the optimal balance of safety and single-dose robust efficacy. VRPRVF can actively synthesize viral RNA and proteins but lacks structural glycoprotein genes, preventing spread within immunized individuals and reducing the risk of vaccine-induced pathogenicity. VRPRVF proved to be completely safe following intracranial inoculation of suckling mice, a stringent test of vaccine safety. Single-dose subcutaneous immunization with VRPRVF, although it is highly attenuated, completely protected mice against a virulent RVFV challenge dose which was 100,000-fold greater than the 50% lethal dose (LD50). Robust protection from lethal challenge was observed by 24 h postvaccination, with 100% protection induced in as little as 96 h. We show that a single subcutaneous VRPRVF immunization initiated a systemic antiviral state followed by an enhanced adaptive response. These data contrast sharply with the much-reduced survivability and immune responses observed among animals immunized with nonreplicating viral particles, indicating that replication, even if confined to the initially infected cells, contributes substantially to protective efficacy at early and late time points postimmunization. These data demonstrate that replicon vaccines successfully bridge the gap between safety and efficacy and provide insights into the kinetics of antiviral protection from RVFV infection.