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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2020.10.22.351189

Pathogenic measles viruses cannot evolve to bypass vaccine-induced neutralizing antibodies

Munoz Alia, M. A.·Nace, R. A.·Zhang, L.·Russell, S. J.
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Abstract

After centuries of pestilence and decades of global vaccination, measles serotypes capable of evading vaccine-induced immunity have not emerged. Here, by systematically building mutations into the H-glycoprotein of an attenuated measles strain and assaying for serum neutralization, we show that virus evolution is severely constrained by the existence of numerous codominant H-glycoprotein antigenic sites, some critical for binding to pathogenicity receptors SLAMF1 and Nectin-4. We further demonstrate the existence in serum of protective neutralizing antibodies targeting codominant F-glycoprotein epitopes. Calculations suggest that evolution of pathogenic measles viruses capable of escaping serum neutralization in vaccinated individuals is a near-zero probability scenario.

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Munoz Alia, M. A., Nace, R. A., Zhang, L., Russell, S. J.. 2020-10-23. Pathogenic measles viruses cannot evolve to bypass vaccine-induced neutralizing antibodies. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.10.22.351189

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