Figure 5. Vaccine efficacy in nonhuman primates assessed on the basis of lung lesions.

Eight macaques were euthanized on day 3 postchallenge with AH/05 virus (A–D) or BHG/05 virus (E–H). Vaccinated animals (A,B,E,F) had less extensive bronchopneumonia (i.e., smaller foci of consolidation) than did unvaccinated animals (C,D,G,H). The vaccinated animals also showed prominent peribronchial lymph follicles (a, e; arrows), and their consolidated lung areas lacked viral antigen-positive cells (B,F). By contrast, the unvaccinated animals had lung lesions of moderate size with a wide consolidated area (C,G; outlined by yellow dashes), smaller and less abundant peribronchial lymph follicles (C,G; arrows), and pneumonic lesions containing many antigen-positive cells (D,H; brown pigment). (I) Schematic diagrams indicating distribution of pathologic lesions in the lungs of animals vaccinated and challenged with AH/05 (V1 and V2); nonvaccinated and challenged with AH/05 (C1 and C2); vaccinated and challenged with BHG/05 (V3 and V4); and nonvaccinated and challenged with BHG/05 (C3 and C4). In vaccinated animals, scant-to-moderate bronchopneumonia was present in each lobe, but viral antigens were not detected in the lesions (V1, V2, V3, and V4; purple). By contrast, more severe bronchopneumonia was observed in nonvaccinated macaque lungs (C1, C2, C3, and C4). Moreover, viral antigens were prominent in the pneumonic lesions in the most affected lung lobes (C1, C2, C3, and C4; red). One lung lobe was entirely affected by pneumonia after infection with the BHG/05 virus (C3). Purple, bronchopneumonia without viral antigen; red, bronchopneumonia with viral antigen.