The Milk of Cows Immunized with Trivalent Inactivated Vaccines Provides Broad-Spectrum Passive Protection against Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease in Neonatal Mice

Abstract

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a contagious viral infection predominantly affecting infants and young children, caused by multiple enteroviruses, including Enterovirus 71 (EV71), Coxsackievirus A16 (CA16), Coxsackievirus A10 (CA10), and Coxsackievirus A6 (CA6). The high pathogenicity of HFMD has garnered significant attention. Currently, there is no specific treatment or broad-spectrum preventive measure available for HFMD, and existing monovalent vaccines have limited impact on the overall incidence or prevalence of the disease. Consequently, with the emergence of new viral strains driven by vaccine pressure, there is an urgent need to develop strategies for the rapid response and control of new outbreaks. In this study, we demonstrated the broad protective effect of maternal antibodies against three types of HFMD by immunizing mother mice with a trivalent inactivated vaccine targeting EV71, CA16, and CA10, using a neonatal mouse challenge model. Based on the feasibility of maternal antibodies as a form of passive immunization to prevent HFMD, we prepared a multivalent antiviral milk by immunizing dairy cows with the trivalent inactivated vaccine to target multiple HFMD viruses. In the neonatal mouse challenge model, this immunized milk exhibited extensive passive protection against oral infections caused by the three HFMD viruses. Compared to vaccines, this strategy may offer a rapid and broadly applicable approach to providing passive immunity for the prevention of HFMD, particularly in response to the swift emergence and spread of new variants.

Keywords

• HFMD
• maternal antibody
• passive immune protection
• multivalent antiviral milk
• neonatal mouse challenge model