When the Nipah virus spilled over from bats to pigs to humans during the 1998–1999 outbreak in Malaysia and Singapore, nearly 300 people fell ill and over 100 died. To contain the outbreak, nearly half the Malaysian pig population was culled with costs exceeding US $500 million, a devastating blow to farmers, industries, and public health.
Nipah virus infection in humans is a severe and often fatal neurological disease. Classified as a stage III zoonotic disease, has a high mutation rate and an ability to survive for days. Should a strain become fully ‘human-adapted’ within an area of high human and pig densities, and in a community where pigs are a primary export commodity, infection could readily spread with potential for a global pandemic. To help mitigate this risk, there is need for an approved Nipah virus vaccine for application in pigs.
Innovative approaches to pandemic preparedness
A new international collaboration, involving scientists from The Pirbright Institute, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Ensilicated Technologies Ltd., Global Access Diagnostics (GADx), and BioVacc Consulting, is working towards changing this with the development of a bivalent vaccine designed to protect pigs against both Nipah virus and the prevalent pseudorabies virus (PrV), the causative agent of Aujeszky’s disease in pigs. Early studies have shown that a single immunisation can stimulate Nipah virus-specific T cell responses and neutralising antibodies in pigs, without weakening protection against PrV
Alongside the vaccine work, the collaboration is developing a DIVA (Differentiating Infected from Vaccinated Animals) testing strategy, a crucial tool to support outbreak control and maintain international trade. A lab-based NiV nucleocapsid protein ELISA has already demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity, with efforts underway to create a rapid, field-deployable lateral flow version.
To address the challenges of vaccine distribution in high-risk, resource-limited areas, the team is also exploring ensilication™ technology, encasing vaccines in a silica layer to boost thermal stability without the need for continuous refrigeration.
A glimpse of future resilience
These advances will be shared with the global veterinary immunology community at the upcoming 14th International Veterinary Immunology Symposium (IVIS 2025) https://ivis2025.org/ in Vienna.
By strengthening defences at the animal–human interface, this work supports the wider goals of One Health: protecting human health, animal health, and food security in an increasingly interconnected world.
Learn more about the project on The Pirbright Institute website.
This research is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care using UK Aid funding and is managed by Innovate UK.
Image credit: Photo by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on Unsplash