Mucosal and Systemic Neutralizing Antibodies to Norovirus Induced in Infant Mice Orally Inoculated with Recombinant Rotaviruses

Significance Mucosal immunity is a key component of protection against many pathogens. Robust and effective mucosal immune responses are generally induced following infection with a replication-competent pathogen at a mucosal surface. Several studies have attempted to develop viral vector-based enteric mucosal vaccines; however, the most advanced of these are still in clinical development. Here, we successfully induced systemic and mucosal antibody responses against both rotavirus and norovirus following inoculation of recombinant rotaviruses expressing the human norovirus capsid proteins. These responses are likely to function as correlates of protection. Live-attenuated rotavirus vaccines have already proven safe and effective worldwide. These findings confirm the potential utility of using rotaviruses as a dual enteric vaccine platform for other important human enteric pathogens.