Highly attenuated smallpox vaccine protects mice with and without immune deficiencies against pathogenic vaccinia virus challenge

Modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA), developed >30 years ago as a highly attenuated candidate smallpox vaccine, was recloned from a 1974 passage and evaluated for safety and immunogenicity. Replication of MVA is impaired in most mammalian cells, and we found that mice with severe combined immunodeficiency disease remained healthy when inoculated with MVA at 1,000 times the lethal dose of vaccinia virus derived from the licensed Dryvax vaccine seed. In BALB/c mice inoculated intramuscularly with MVA, virus-specific CD8+ T cells and antibodies to purified virions and membrane protein components of the intracellular and extracellular infectious forms of vaccinia virus were induced in a dose-dependent manner. After one or two inoculations of MVA, the T cell numbers and antibody titers equaled or exceeded those induced by percutaneous injection of Dryvax. Antibodies induced by MVA and Dryvax were neutralizing and inhibited virus spread in cultured cells. Furthermore, vaccinated mice were protected against lethal intranasal challenge with a pathogenic vaccinia virus. B cell-deficient mice unable to generate antibodies and beta2-microglobulin-deficient mice unable to express MHC class I molecules for a CD8+ T cell response were also protectively vaccinated by MVA. In contrast, mice with decreased CD4 or MHC class II expression and double-knockout mice deficient in MHC class I- and II-restricted activities were poorly protected or unprotected. This study confirmed the safety of MVA and demonstrated that the overlapping immune responses protected normal and partially immune-deficient animals, an encouraging result for this candidate attenuated smallpox vaccine.