Polycistronic Herpesvirus Amplicon Vectors for Veterinary Vaccine Development

Heterologous virus-vectored vaccines, particularly those based on canarypox virus vectors, have established a firm place in preventive veterinary medicine. However, herpesvirus-based vaccines have paved the way for DIVA vaccines (discrimination of infected against vaccinated animals), which are particularly desirable for highly contagious livestock diseases that are otherwise combatted by culling of infected animals.In this chapter, we describe the design, the preparation, and the testing of a polycistronic herpesvirus amplicon vaccine against rotaviruses with a particular emphasis on generating heterologous virus-like particles for immunization. After the design, the procedure consists of three steps, first, transient expression of the construct in cell cultures, second, expression and antibody response in a mouse model, and third, application of the system to the desired host species. As a whole, the present information will facilitate the design of novel vaccines of veterinary interest from the designing process until pre-licensing.