Protection against West Nile virus infection in mice after inoculation with type I interferon-inducing RNA transcripts.

Summary

West Nile virus remains a significant threat to equine health, with no licensed vaccine currently available for horses and limited therapeutic options beyond supportive care. Researchers inoculated mice with synthetic RNA transcripts derived from foot-and-mouth disease virus non-coding regions, which are known to trigger robust type I interferon responses, then evaluated protection against lethal WNV challenge using various dosing schedules, administration routes, and inoculum levels. Both suckling and adult mice receiving the RNA transcripts demonstrated significant protection against WNV infection, with the protective effect being dose-dependent and influenced by the route of administration. These findings are particularly relevant to equine practitioners because they suggest that synthetic interferon-inducing RNAs represent a promising immunological strategy for viral protection across different virus families, potentially offering a vaccine alternative for horses in regions where WNV poses a clinical risk. The systemic nature of protection observed in this murine model warrants further investigation into whether similar approaches could be developed for equine use, particularly as a preventative strategy where conventional vaccination options remain unavailable.

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Key Findings

• •FMDV-derived RNA transcripts induced potent interferon response and antiviral activity in cultured cells
• •RNA transcripts provided protection against lethal WNV challenge in both suckling and adult mice
• •Protective effect was dose and infection route-dependent
• •Synthetic RNA approach demonstrated cross-family antiviral potential against different viral pathogens

Conditions Studied