Development and validation of a quantitative Orthopoxvirus immunoassay to evaluate and differentiate serological responses to Mpox infection and vaccination.
Joanne Byrne, Gurvin Saini, Alejandro Garcia-Leon, Dana Alalwan, Peter Doran, Alan Landay, Liem Binh Luong Nguyen, Cathal O'Broin, Stefano Savinelli, Jane A O'Halloran, Aoife Cotter, Mary Horgan, Christine Kelly, Corinna Sadlier, Eoghan de Barra, Virginie Gautier, Patrick W G Mallon, Eoin R Feeney
{"title":"Development and validation of a quantitative Orthopoxvirus immunoassay to evaluate and differentiate serological responses to Mpox infection and vaccination.","authors":"Joanne Byrne, Gurvin Saini, Alejandro Garcia-Leon, Dana Alalwan, Peter Doran, Alan Landay, Liem Binh Luong Nguyen, Cathal O'Broin, Stefano Savinelli, Jane A O'Halloran, Aoife Cotter, Mary Horgan, Christine Kelly, Corinna Sadlier, Eoghan de Barra, Virginie Gautier, Patrick W G Mallon, Eoin R Feeney","doi":"10.1016/j.ebiom.2025.105622","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The Mpox outbreak, caused by Monkeypox virus (MPXV), underscores the need for a serological assay to assess Mpox immunity. Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) vaccine, an attenuated vaccinia virus (VACV), is authorised for Mpox prevention. We aimed to develop a quantitative immunoassay to differentiate infection- and vaccination-induced immunity and explore serological responses to Mpox infection and vaccination.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We evaluated an electrochemiluminescence assay targeting IgG to 10 MPXV and 3 VACV antigens in plasma from adults in a cohort study with previous Mpox, MVA-vaccination, or historical controls. Sensitivity and specificity to distinguish i) seropositive versus naive and ii) infection- versus vaccination-induced seropositivity were determined using ROC curves. Antibody kinetics were analysed with generalised additive models.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>Eight of the thirteen IgG antibodies showed significant titre differences across groups identifying three key antigens: MPXVB6R, MPXVA27L, and VACVB5. A VACVB5 IgG titre of 0.082 IgG normalised units (nu) offered 74% (95% CI: 59-82%) sensitivity and 81% (73-96%) specificity for previous antigen exposure (infection or vaccine). For infection alone, an MPXVB6R IgG titre of 0.075 IgGnu provided 89% (82-98%) sensitivity and 94% (86-100%) specificity. To differentiate infection from vaccination-induced seropositivity, the sum of MPXVA27L IgG and the B6R/VACVB5 ratio provided 89% (80-96%) sensitivity and 80% (74-84%) specificity. VACVB5 IgG titres declined over time, with higher titres post-Mpox than post-vaccination (p < 0.0001).</p><p><strong>Interpretation: </strong>This assay demonstrates high sensitivity and specificity in quantifying and differentiating between antibody responses to Mpox infection and vaccination. Post-Mpox antibody responses were higher than post-vaccination, though both waned over time.</p><p><strong>Funding: </strong>Health Research Board (MONKEYVAX-2022-1), University College Dublin School of Medicine.</p>","PeriodicalId":11494,"journal":{"name":"EBioMedicine","volume":"113 ","pages":"105622"},"PeriodicalIF":9.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-02-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"EBioMedicine","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebiom.2025.105622","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"MEDICINE, RESEARCH & EXPERIMENTAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: The Mpox outbreak, caused by Monkeypox virus (MPXV), underscores the need for a serological assay to assess Mpox immunity. Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) vaccine, an attenuated vaccinia virus (VACV), is authorised for Mpox prevention. We aimed to develop a quantitative immunoassay to differentiate infection- and vaccination-induced immunity and explore serological responses to Mpox infection and vaccination.
Methods: We evaluated an electrochemiluminescence assay targeting IgG to 10 MPXV and 3 VACV antigens in plasma from adults in a cohort study with previous Mpox, MVA-vaccination, or historical controls. Sensitivity and specificity to distinguish i) seropositive versus naive and ii) infection- versus vaccination-induced seropositivity were determined using ROC curves. Antibody kinetics were analysed with generalised additive models.
Findings: Eight of the thirteen IgG antibodies showed significant titre differences across groups identifying three key antigens: MPXVB6R, MPXVA27L, and VACVB5. A VACVB5 IgG titre of 0.082 IgG normalised units (nu) offered 74% (95% CI: 59-82%) sensitivity and 81% (73-96%) specificity for previous antigen exposure (infection or vaccine). For infection alone, an MPXVB6R IgG titre of 0.075 IgGnu provided 89% (82-98%) sensitivity and 94% (86-100%) specificity. To differentiate infection from vaccination-induced seropositivity, the sum of MPXVA27L IgG and the B6R/VACVB5 ratio provided 89% (80-96%) sensitivity and 80% (74-84%) specificity. VACVB5 IgG titres declined over time, with higher titres post-Mpox than post-vaccination (p < 0.0001).
Interpretation: This assay demonstrates high sensitivity and specificity in quantifying and differentiating between antibody responses to Mpox infection and vaccination. Post-Mpox antibody responses were higher than post-vaccination, though both waned over time.
Funding: Health Research Board (MONKEYVAX-2022-1), University College Dublin School of Medicine.
EBioMedicineBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology-General Biochemistry,Genetics and Molecular Biology
CiteScore
17.70
自引率
0.90%
发文量
579
审稿时长
5 weeks
期刊介绍:
eBioMedicine is a comprehensive biomedical research journal that covers a wide range of studies that are relevant to human health. Our focus is on original research that explores the fundamental factors influencing human health and disease, including the discovery of new therapeutic targets and treatments, the identification of biomarkers and diagnostic tools, and the investigation and modification of disease pathways and mechanisms. We welcome studies from any biomedical discipline that contribute to our understanding of disease and aim to improve human health.