Lightning & Poster Presentation Asia-Pacific Vaccine and Immunotherapy Congress 2026

Insect-specific Yada Yada virus chimeric vaccines protect against chikungunya and Ross River virus-induced arthritis  (#17)

Wilson Nguyen 1 2 , Agnes Carolin 1 2 , Mikaela Bell 3 , Bing Tang 1 , Kexin Yan 1 , Abigail Cox 1 2 , Andreas Suhrbier 1 4 , Jessica Harrison 3 , Jody Hobson-Peters 3 4 , Daniel Rawle 1 3 4
  1. Infection and Inflammation, QIMR Berghofer, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
  2. Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
  3. School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
  4. Australian Infectious Disease Research Centre, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

Arthritogenic alphaviruses such as chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and Ross River virus (RRV) are mosquito-borne viruses that can cause debilitating polyarthritis/polyarthralgia in humans. Although a CHIKV vaccine has been licensed, there are no licensed vaccines for RRV. Herein we generate a host-restricted, insect-specific alphavirus, Yada Yada virus (YYV), chimeric vaccine for CHIKV (YYV-CHIKVMauritius) and for RRV (YYV-RRVTT). YYV-CHIKVMauritius and YYV-RRVTT was able to replicate in C6/36 mosquito cells to similar titres as wild-type CHIKV and RRV. YYV-CHIKVMauritius was also neutralised by CHIKV monoclonal antibodies to the same titres as wild-type CHIKV, indicating its potential as a diagnostic antigen to detect neutralising CHIKV antibodies in human or animal sera. YYV-CHIKVMauritius further demonstrated protection against CHIKV infection and disease in a wild-type mouse model. Two doses of YYV-CHIKVMauritius showed anti-CHIKV ELISA and neutralising antibody responses, with protection against foot swelling, viraemia and viral feet tissue titres. Protection against CHIKV histopathology including myositis, tendonitis, arthritis, subcutaneous oedema and haemorrhage was also observed. YYV-RRVTT also demonstrated protection against RRV infection and disease in a wild-type mouse model, with two vaccine doses inducing anti-RRV ELISA and neutralising antibody responses. Protection against foot swelling, viraemia and viral feet tissue titres and RRV histopathology including myositis, tendonitis, arthritis and subcutaneous oedema was also observed. Cross-protection was also evaluated between YYV-CHIKVMauritius and RRV. Although cross-reactive total IgG were observed for YYV-CHIKVMauritius vaccinated mice, this offered no cross-neutralising antibodies and no protection against RRV infection and disease. Overall, our findings show that YYV-CHIKVMauritius and YYV-RRVTT are safe and efficacious vaccines against CHIKV and RRV, respectively, but do not offer cross-protection.