Plasma VP8*-Binding Antibodies in Rotavirus Infection and Oral Vaccination in Young Bangladeshi Children

Plasma antibodies binding the rotavirus VP8* structural protein were insufficient to fully protect from rotavirus gastroenteritis and were poorly induced by the oral, live-attenuated vaccine Rotarix in young children in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Background Despite the availability and success of live-attenuated oral vaccines, rotavirus (RV) remains the leading cause of pediatric gastroenteritis worldwide. Next-generation vaccines targeting RV VP8* are under evaluation, but the role of VP8*-specific antibodies in human immunity to RV and their potential as immune correlates of protection remains underexplored. Methods We measured plasma RV VP8*-binding antibodies in 2 cohorts of young children in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Plasma from a cohort study of 137 unvaccinated children aged 6-24 months old hospitalized with acute gastroenteritis was assessed for VP8* antibody seropositivity. VP8* antibodies were compared with the current standard for RV immunity, total RV-specific IgA (RV-IgA). Additionally, VP8* antibody responses were measured as part of an immunogenicity trial of a monovalent, oral, live-attenuated RV vaccine (Rotarix). Results Fewer children with acute RV gastroenteritis were seropositive for VP8*-binding IgA or IgG antibodies at hospital admission compared with RV-IgA, suggesting that the absence of VP8*-binding antibodies more accurately predicts susceptibility to RV gastroenteritis than RV-IgA in unvaccinated children. However, when present, these antibodies appeared insufficient to protect fully from disease and no threshold antibody level for protection was apparent. In vaccinated children, these antibodies were very poorly induced by Rotarix vaccine, suggesting that VP8*-specific antibodies alone are not necessary for clinical protection following oral vaccination. Conclusions This work suggests that VP8*-binding antibodies may not be sufficient or necessary for protection from RV gastroenteritis following prior RV infection or oral vaccination; the role of VP8* antibodies induced by parenteral vaccination with non-replicating vaccines remains to be determined.