Durable protection of rhesus macaques immunized with a replicating adenovirus-SIV multigene prime/protein boost vaccine regimen against a second SIVmac251 rectal challenge: Role of SIV-specific CD8+ T cell responses

Abstract Previously, priming with replication-competent adenovirus-SIV multigenic vaccines and boosting with envelope subunits strongly protected 39% of rhesus macaques against rectal SIV mac251 challenge. To evaluate protection durability, eleven of the protected and two SIV-infected unimmunized macaques that controlled viremia were re-challenged rectally with SIV mac251 . Strong protection was observed in 8/11 vaccinees, including two exhibiting mac251 challenge, was associated with durable protection against re-challenge.