Comparative Studies of the Pathogenesis, Antibody Immune Responses, and Homologous Protection to Porcine and Human Rotaviruses in Gnotobiotic Piglets

Gnotobiotic piglets serve as a useful animal model for studies of rotavirus pathogenesis and immunity. An advantage over laboratory animal models is the prolonged susceptibility of piglets to rotavirus-induced disease, permitting an analysis of cross-protection and active immunity. Studies from our laboratory of the pathogenesis of human rotavirus infections in gnotobiotic piglets have confirmed that villous atrophy is induced in piglets given virulent but not attenuated human rotavirus (Wa strain) and have revealed that factors other than villous atrophy may contribute to the early diarrhea induced. To facilitate and improve rotavirus vaccination strategies, it is important to identify correlates of protective immunity. Comparison of antibody immune responses induced by infection with virulent porcine and human rotaviruses (mimic host response to natural infection) with those induced by live attenuated human rotavirus (mimic attenuated oral vaccines) in the context of homotypic protection has permitted an analysis of correlates of protective immunity. Our results indicate that the magnitude of the immune response is greatest in lymphoid tissues adjacent to the site of viral replication (small intestine). Secondly there was a direct association between the degree of protection induced and the level of the intestinal immune response, with primary exposure to virulent rotaviruses inducing significantly higher numbers of IgA ASC and complete protection against challenge. These studies thus have established basic parameters related to immune protection in the piglet model of rotavirus-induced disease, verifying the usefulness of this model to apply new strategies for the design and improvement of rotavirus vaccines.