The MOPEVACNEW vaccine protects against five highly pathogenic New World Arenaviruses in a cynomolgus monkey model of infection

The New World arenaviruses (NWAs) Junin, Machupo, Guanarito, Sabia, and Chapare viruses (JUNV, MACV, GTOV, SABV, CHAPV) circulate in South America, and are associated with fatal disease in humans. MOPEVAC NEW , a pentavalent live attenuated vaccine, was designed to protect against all these pathogens and was previously shown to protect against MACV and GTOV. We demonstrate here the efficacy of the vaccine against JUNV, SABV, and CHAPV in cynomolgus monkeys, with no infectious particles detected in animals that received a prime-boost immunization one month before challenge. Moreover, these experiments establish a non-human primate (NHP) model for SABV, with only mild disease, and for CHAPV with severe and often lethal disease. The use of a homogeneous protocol of infection for all viruses allows the comparison of the pathology and the immune responses associated with NWA infection. These results provide an NHP model for the South American NWAs responsible for lethal diseases in humans and demonstrate that MOPEVAC NEW protects cynomolgus monkeys against all of them.