The availability of effective
smallpox vaccines was a critical
element of the successful eradication of
smallpox in 1980. Antibody responses play a primary role in protective immunity and
neutralizing antibody is an established correlate of protection against
smallpox. In this study we used a poxvirus
proteome array to assess the antibody response to individual
viral proteins in a cohort of 1,037
smallpox vaccine recipients. Several statistically significant differences were observed in the antibody response to immunodominant
proteins between men and women, including B5R-a major target of
neutralizing antibody in
vaccinia immune globulin, and the
membrane proteins D8L and A27L, both of which have been used as
vaccine antigens providing protection in animal models. We also noted differences across racial/ethnic groups. In this cohort, which consisted of both
ACAM2000 and Dryvax recipients, we noted minute differences in the antibody responses to a restricted number of
viral proteins, providing additional support for the use of
ACAM2000 as a replacement
smallpox vaccine. Furthermore, our data indicate that poxvirus
proteome microarrays can be valuable for screening and monitoring
smallpox vaccine-induced humoral immune responses in large-scale serologic surveillance studies and prove useful in the guidance of developing novel
smallpox candidate
vaccines.